There is still no sign of a cost model for the National Health Insurance (NHI), but a large proportion of this year’s much-reduced health budget has been allocated to the scheme, notes MedicalBrief.
The 2023/24 budget allocation for the National Department of Health has declined by R4.4bn, from R64.5bn in 22/23 to R60.1bn in 2023/24, Health Minister Joe Phaahla said, attributing this to the discontinuation of grants allocated for fighting Covid, but adding that money had been set aside to train specialists and to refurbish and upgrade facilities.
An amount of R8.8bn over the next three years will go towards implementing the NHI, reports News24.
The Portfolio Committee on Health’s report on the department’s budget and annual performance plan, “noted with concern” that the costing model for the NHI was still outstanding. Funds had been allocated to the department for NHI, but the National Treasury had not engaged the committee about the costing model, it said…..more