10 REASONS WHY NHI IS GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY

1 Our government health budget keeps on increasing and our network of public hospitals and clinics have grown but there are still communities in rural areas that cannot easily obtain health care. 2 Many residents in our major cities rely on overcrowded public health facilities with very few health professionals and poor equipment. 3 The amount spent on the health care for each person with medical aid scheme is five times the amount that is spent on each person who relies on public health facilities.

4 The standard of health care gap between the rich and the poor continues widening, which is against the equality policy the country is driving in other sectors.

5 While eight out of 10 patients use public clinics and hospitals, the bulk of the country’s doctors, dentists and other specialists work in the private health care sector serving a small section of the population, leaving the biggest population in public hospitals unattended.

6 The two-tier system of paying for health care has failed to guarantee good quality health care for all. Government pays for the health facilities that assist the poor and it also provides tax subsidies for medical scheme contributors used by the wealthier families, who use private doctors and hospitals. This system has locked out the poor who cannot afford a large number of health professionals and facilities in the private sector.

7 Every citizen deserves better value from our health care spending. Even for South Africans who earn a good income, health care has become a burden because private medical costs have skyrocketed in recent years. Working people are spending a large chunk of their salaries on medical aid and this often causes constraints in their household income.

8 NHI will reduce the cost of private health care. It will still provide a good income for health professionals and health institutions in the private sector, but will use a more cost-effective method of payment than the one currently used by medical aid schemes.

9 The quality of care in public hospitals is deteriorating in the areas of staff attitudes, waiting times, cleanliness, drug stocks out, infection control and, safety and security of staff and patients. This may also be largely attributed to the high burden of disease and increased patient loads without increased staff.

10 Increased out-of-pocket payments are draining the disposable income of many South Africans, patients are exposed to three forms of out-ofpocket payments: l Every time a patient has to pay cash when they seek health care whether in the public or private sector; l Additional payments (co-payments or levies) for those on medical schemes but whose benefits option does not cover all the costs; and l Cash payment for those on medical schemes whose benefits are prematurely exhausted before the end of the year.