Writing in Business Day, Clark pointed to the upcoming G20 Health Ministers summit – to be held in Polokwane – saying that this meeting presented an opportunity “not only to lead the global conversation on health and equity, but also to demonstrate concrete progress at home. So, as chair of the G20, this is the ideal time for SA to accelerate its National Health Insurance (NHI) reforms, with the aim of reaching universal health coverage (UHC).”
Praising the NHI Act as “one of the most ambitious social reforms in the country’s democratic history”, she said the time was ideal to “accelerate” its implementation.
She argued that the Covid pandemic showed that countries with strong, publicly financed systems performed better than those without them. She listed New Zealand as an example, whose system was “built on the simple principle that healthcare is a public good and a right, not a privilege”. This was an early example of what had become a worldwide trend, which many middle-income countries are now following.
UHC, she continued, would lead to better health outcomes, health security and pandemic preparedness, promote economic growth, reduce inequality and foster social solidarity and peace…….more
