The community of Middelburg attended AfriForum’s community meeting regarding the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill on 23 October 2019. The civil rights organisation encouraged the community during this event to attend the public hearing regarding NHI to give commentary against this destructive bill.
During this community meeting AfriForum also provided more clarity regarding the derogatory impact which the implementation of the NHI Bill may have and answered questions of community members.
“Zweli Mkhize, Minister of Health, wants to press ahead with NHI with all might. However, it is still a mystery to AfriForum why any modern government wants to copy such a universally failed system. The implementation of NHI will mean that the state can decide what treatment you require, who must provide it and where you must receive it. Practical implications of this can include that the state for example can decide who must be a woman’s gynaecologist, as well as where and by which method her child must be born or what cancer treatment a patient must undergo. We cannot allow the ANC to communise the country’s health system,” says Natasha Venter, AfriForum’s Spokesperson for NHI.
“AfriForum wants to encourage the public to oppose NHI in every possible way. This includes the online submission of commentary, as well as to give AfriForum their mandate to oppose the bill on behalf of the community,” says Hennie Bekker, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Lowveld.
“However, we want to emphasise that it is important that the community of Middelburg and surrounding areas attend the public hearing to offer resistance against NHI. It is the community’s chance to show their protest against NHI,” says Bronwen Pretorius, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Highveld.