DA questions Motsoaledi continuing to push NHI despite 'crippling' doctor unemployment in SA

CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance (DA) said that Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi continues to push the National Health Insurance (NHI), despite doctor unemployment "crippling" South Africa’s public health system.

DA health spokesperson, Michelle Clarke, said that despite the department’s "inability to hire and retain sufficient medical personnel", Motsoaledi's "fixation" on the NHI raised serious concerns about his commitment to improving health care.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said this past weekend at the ANC's birthday celebrations that the NHI, much like the BELA Act, would be implemented fully and make universal healthcare a reality.

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Minister Motsoaledi has also made it clear that the NHI was moving ahead despite opposition from the DA and the private sector.

But Clarke questioned the move while thousands of doctors remain unemployed.

"The minister of health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, seems to be suffering of delusion. That is the only way explaining his continued push for the NHI while his department cannot afford to employ medical personnel to capacitate public health facilities."

Clarke said that Motsoaledi chooses to allocate resources to the NHI, rather than prioritising the hiring of doctors who were desperately needed.