T Munyai
We welcome the judgement delivered by the Pretoria High Court on Thursday 10 November 2022, in which the Trade Union Solidarity’s legal challenge to prevent the government from implementing the National Health Insurance (NHI), failed.
This follows an attempt by Solidarity to interdict the National Department of Health (NDoH) through an urgent court application, from filling the advertised 44 vacancies as part of efforts by the department to establish a fully functioning NHI Branch, while the legislative process on the NHI Bill is underway.
The Union filed an urgent court application in the Pretoria High Court on the 12 October 2022, interdicting the Department of Health from making appointments of competent technical specialists to the NHI Branch to assist with the preparations for the functioning of the NHI Fund.
The Judge dismissed the application by the Solidarity Union with costs. The objectives of the NHI, is to provide universal access to quality and affordable health care for all South Africans, irrespective of their socio economic status, by ensuring that the use of health services does not result in financial hardship for individuals and their families.
This progressive approach to health provision is the policy of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
NHI will be implemented in a progressive and responsible manner in our country.
