Assignment task: The objective of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill is to provide universal access to quality health care for all South Africans as enshrined in the Constitution. The Constitution recognizes healthcare as a fundamental human right. It states that "everyone has the right to have access to health care services... the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of these rights and no one may be refused emergency medical treatment." The NHI Bill seeks to achieve this by ensuring that:
- No one is deprived of the above-mentioned rights because of their socio-economic status;
- One public health fund is created with adequate resources to plan for and effectively meet the health needs of the entire population, not just for a selected few; and
- The ultimate goal is to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
In view of the above statement, assume that you have been appointed as a Political Analyst in the Department of Health. Your task is to provide feedback on the progress with the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill with regards to its applicability in the South African landscape by considering:-
1. The associated challenges with the implementation of the Bill, and
2. Possible solutions to the challenges mentioned in 1.