South Africa can fund universal healthcare without foreign aid, says Health DG

Health Department Director General, Dr Sandile Buthelezi, has asserted that South Africa possesses the financial capability to provide healthcare for all its citizens without reliance on foreign aid.

However, Buthelezi emphasised that the health sector's prospects would significantly improve if the National Treasury were to abandon austerity measures and budget limitations.

The Director General was speaking during public submissions on Wednesday on the Special Appropriation Bill, which seeks to secure R750 million. This funding is necessary following the recent withdrawal of healthcare funding for HIV/AIDS by the United States.

Dr Buthelezi highlighted a critical imbalance in current healthcare expenditure, noting that 51% of the total spending currently serves only 14% of the population. This leaves the remaining 86% of South Africans to utilise just 49% of the allocated funds.

He attributes this disparity primarily to persistent inequality within the country.

Buthelezi contends that this inequality has fostered a damaging perception that South Africa' public healthcare sector can only survive through external "handouts," a notion he strongly refutes.

"Inequality will always exist, and we will start believing that the public healthcare sector can only survive on foreign handouts, whereas our country can afford to provide healthcare to everybody if it is done in an equitable manner,"he stated.

He says the department negotiated for a long period over austerity measures, and fortunately treasury understood and an additional R20 billion was allocated to the department in May.