SA is not in a position to offer NHI services

I THINK for everyone to understand the controversy that has been going on for years regarding the implementation of universal health care, it is important to explain specific issues surrounding this very important contentious topic.

The first thing we all need to understand is that many governments, as far back as the times of General Jan Smuts, were also engaged for years in heated debates regarding a health-are system that would guarantee equitable access to health care regardless of one’s social standing. The difficulty has always been its implementation.

Those governments realised that while the system of universal healthcare coverage was proving to be not easily achievable, the government could at least subsidise health care. It is for that reason that even today patients at public hospitals pay only a minimal fee, and at primary health care centres (clinics) they don’t pay.

The government has to employ enough doctors, nurses, and other categories of health professionals, eg radiographers and physiotherapists.

There must be enough equipment, linen and food for patients. There must be enough medication, and every type of treatment that might be required.

Waiting times and queues may be very long, some costly treatments may be excluded or delayed for weeks or months because of long queues, eg for knee and hip replacements.

Patients who can afford to pay end up resorting to private clinics, because of the pain they have to endure while waiting.

Some patients end up dying while waiting for diagnosis or treatment, for instance cancer patients.

The reason for the long queues is because some patients who could just buy an over-the-counter medicine from any pharmacy are reluctant to do so while they can get treatment without paying a cent at the health facility because of the universal health-care coverage.

So, at this stage South Africa is just not in a position to implement universal health-care coverage. If it did, it would be asking for a disaster.

COMETH DUBE-MAKHOLWA | Midrand.