The fund is a central pillar of the government’s plans for achieving universal health coverage, which promises to provide patients with care that is free at the point of service. The mechanism and timeline for implementing the fund is set out in the NHI Bill, which is now being considered by parliament. It proposes that the fund be fully operational by 2026.
“The 2026 timeline is too short a target to complete all the necessary steps before the fund is established,” FFC researcher Eddie Rakabe told parliament’s portfolio committee on health, BusinessLIVE reported. The FFC is an independent advisory body, which the state is required, by law, to consult on revenue that flows to different spheres of government.
Rakabe set out the hurdles to be overcome, which include establishing administrative capacity; designing benefits and payment mechanisms; and dealing with the politically sensitive issue of how functions and funds now allocated to provincial health departments are shifted. The bill envisages that hundreds of units will contract with service providers on behalf of the centrally managed NHI fund, a function now performed by provincial health departments.
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