Despite the SA government having pumped more than R1bn into 11 National Health Insurance pilot districts over five years, medical care in these areas has not improved much – and in some cases has worsened, reports the Sunday Times. Doctors, dentists, nurses, physiotherapists, activists and business people recently filed their responses to the NHI white paper, which details an initiative to improve clinics and create a single state-run medical aid — “which would spell the end of medical aids in their current form”. The report says according to various submissions, there was little to show for the money spent on the NHI pilot project, and the state sector remained in appalling shape. Some submissions criticised the lack of information about the NHI scheme, saying little could be learnt from the 11 pilot projects or about how the money had been spent….more