Mmusi Maimane: ‘Cabinet must abolish their medical aid and opt for public health care’

The leader of Build One South Africa(BOSA), Mmusi Maimane has stirred the political landscape by proposing a shift in the healthcare system, calling for the President, Deputy President and Ministers to abolish their medical aid schemes.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law the NHI Bill, which took effect from today, Wednesday, May 15.

There have been mixed reactions to the signing of the NHI Bill, with some opposition parties and civil society groups threatening legal action.

READ MORE here: Mixed reactions as NHI bill comes into effect on Wednesday

Maimane, who is the former leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), called on Ramaphosa, his whole family, the cabinet and members of the executive committees to publicly cancel their medical aid and to use public healthcare with immediate effect.

“The NHI as envisaged by the ANC, is going to be devastating for this country. You’ll have profound skills flight out of this country and ultimately it will drain the fiscus,” says aggravated Maimane.

“This is R500 billion rands in investment that needs to go with a government that is already heavily indebted, incapable of managing financial resources, and ultimately has allowed the public healthcare sector to collapse with poor leadership at multiple places. I can assure you the citizen will not be able to get the best healthcare,” stressed Maimane.

Maimane’s call for the abolition of private medical aid for cabinet members in favor of public healthcare reflects a larger conversation about equity, access, and social justice in South Africa.

Businesses Unity of South Africa(BUSA), expressed their concerns over the newly implemented NHI bill, indicating that this version will hamper, rather than promote, access to quality healthcare for all citizens in the country.

“We fully support the objective of universal health coverage, however, the NHI Bill in its current form is unworkable, unaffordable, and not in line with the constitution. What is especially troubling is that the President is proceeding with the bill despite extensive constructive inputs made by a wide range of stakeholders, including doctors and healthcare professionals, civil society, public sector, unions, academics and businesses,” says concerned Cas Coovadia CEO of BUSA.