Implementation of the NHI

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NHI

Professor Nicholas Crisp, Public Sector Health Manager, University of Pretoria

Saturday 25 January  10.00 am–12:00 pm  COURSE FEES R220; Staff and students R110

President Ramaphosa assented to the National Health Insurance Act (NHI), 2023, in May 2024. This marked the culmination of a lengthy legislative process that commenced in 2019 with the tabling of the bill in parliament. After delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the National Assembly passed the amended bill in June 2023, after which the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) took over the process. Some 60 community consultations were held in all nine provinces. The NCOP adopted the bill by a majority of eight provinces to one in December 2023. Now that we have reached this critical milestone, we are able gradually to phase in the NHI using a progressive and programmatic approach based on financial resource availability, as required in the Act. The

NHI must be implemented in two phases, phase 1 from 2023 to 2026 and phase 2 from 2026 to 2028. This double lecture will explore the following:

Why massive systemic health sector reform is needed
What the NHI aims to achieve
What the Act provides for by way of a statutory mandate
Interventions and response plans to operationalise and implement the NHI
Budgeting and funding for the roll-out of the NHI.

Recommended reading

National Health Insurance Act, 2023. Act No. 20 of 2023 National Health Act, 2003. Act No. 61 of 2003

Recommended viewing

www.health.gov.za/nh

Health professionals can earn CPD points for this course.

TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/performance.aspx?itemid=1554933587

Prof Crisp is a medical doctor and public health specialist and Honorary Professor in Public Health Medicine at University of Pretoria. He was Superintendent General (HOD) of the Department of Health and Welfare in Limpopo where he served from 1995 to 1999.

Prof Crisp was then a self-employed consultant and has worked on projects in several African countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania. In 2009 he served as Special Adviser to Minister Barbara Hogan. He was intimately involved in the establishment of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), the transfer of the medicolegal mortuaries from police to health and the creation of the Forensic Pathology Services, and in the establishment of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). During COVID-19 he was responsible for managing the vaccination programme.

He is now employed as Deputy Director General: National Health Insurance and is responsible for establishing the governance and administrative capabilities of the entity that will manage the Fund.