It promises universal health care for all, but has faced
fierce resistance from the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), which has
accused the president of signing the "death warrant" of health care
in South Africa.
It warns that the scheme could be hugely expensive, and
fuel corruption.
The National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme advocates the
creation of a state fund to cover the medical costs of all South Africans -
most of whom are not currently covered.
It goes further to bar people from taking out private
health insurance for treatment paid for by the fund, which is proving very
controversial.
"Once the NHI fund covers a benefit, the medical
schemes will not cover the same benefits," the government says.
This is unlike countries such as the UK, which has the
state-funded National Health Service (NHS), but where people are free to take
out medical insurance to receive any treatment they want from private doctors
and hospitals.
"South Africans will no longer be required to
contribute directly to a medical health scheme to get quality health
care," an explainer on the parliamentary website says, external.
Once the NHI scheme is fully implemented "the role of
medical schemes will change as they will provide cover for services not
reimbursable by the NHI Fund", it says. BBC
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