The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) warmly welcomes the signing of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa today, which marks a remarkable move away from the undesirable legacy of two unequal healthcare systems in one country.
The signing of the Bill will further make way for the implementation of what will now become Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in South Africa, where everyone will have equal access to quality healthcare based on their healthcare needs and not based on how deep their pockets are.
From a nursing service perspective, this move will add confidence and improve job satisfaction to the nursing professionals, who are the majority healthcare professionals in the healthcare system, as they will be able to provide comprehensive healthcare services to their patients without having to worry about unavailability of medication, equipment and resources, which are the areas that will be overseen by the various relevant independent governance structures and sub-committees of the NHI.
Furthermore, the signing of the NHI Bill finally fulfills the nurses' pledge of services which, in parts, say, "The total health of my patients will be my first consideration", and "I will not permit consideration of religion, nationality, race or social standing to intervene between my duty and my patient."
The signing of the Bill also fulfills Section 27 (1)(a) of the country's Constitution, which says "everyone has the right to have access to healthcare services, including reproductive health care..."
