Minister: NHI is here to stay, will save lives
The rollout of government’s ambitious National Health Insurance (NHI) plan will guarantee the provision of quality healthcare for more than 60% of South Africans who cannot afford medical aid cover, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said yesterday.
“The more people we put on treatment, the more affordable it [the prices of medicine and healthcare] becomes, not the other way round,” said Motsoaledi at the official opening of Pharmacy Direct’s central chronic medicine dispensing and distribution centre in Midrand, north of Johannesburg.
“But in South Africa we choose the other way round. They say ‘these poor people are going to be very expensive, we cannot afford this NHI’, they want to stay with the 16% that are on medical aid.
“We have to keep on adding the masses of people, and that is exactly what we are going to do for NHI. Get more people in, and you improve the economy. But still people keep saying no, no, the public health sector is collapsing. These are solutions.”
The minister joined AfroCentric Group chairperson, Dr Anna Mokgokgong, and chief executive Antonie van Buuren at the official opening of the central chronic medicine dispensing and distribution centre, which will be used to distribute chronic medication in four provinces – KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and Limpopo.
The AfroCentric Group, the parent company of Pharmacy Direct, says about 4 000 jobs will be created in the programme, while making it easier for patients to receive their prescription medicines in clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, schools, and at other designated pick-up points.
Mokgokgong said: “The good news is that an infrastructure like this warehouse also incentivises job creation. I am excited to announce that this warehouse and the increase in Pharmacy Direct volumes by 50% will help create at least 4 000 jobs during the next 12 months.
“The creation of these jobs will benefit more families. This also means infrastructure through innovative economic development projects that integrate commercial developments that helps create vibrant communities where people can live and work.”
Pharmacy Direct, established in 2004, is a nationwide courier pharmacy that delivers prescribed chronic medication to private and public sector patients.
With a current staff complement of more than 1 000, Pharmacy Direct dispenses and distributes an average of 40 000 chronic prescriptions per day.
The national department of health awarded Pharmacy Direct a three-year central chronic dispensing and distribution contract to dispense and deliver patient medicine parcels in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and Limpopo.