President Cyril Ramaphosa said he will sign the NHI Bill into law. .Picture: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers
President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to sign the National Health Insurance Bill into law in the next few weeks.
Ramaphosa was on a campaign trail in KwaZulu-Natal when he said he will be signing the bill into law.
Parliament approved the bill last year, but it has been sitting on his desk following objections against it.
Political parties and other stakeholders have urged the president to refer the bill back to parliament because it was flawed.
They have threatened to take the government to court if Ramaphosa signs it into law after they said it was unconstitutional and unworkable.
Other stakeholders have argued that parliament had failed to take into account submissions made during the public hearings.
But Ramaphosa said on Saturday he will be assenting to the bill in the next few weeks.
“There is a bill I will sign into law in the next few weeks. We will have the NHI. This will ensure access to free healthcare. We want to end the two tier health system. There must be universal health coverage,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa also said they will continue to provide the R350 Social Relief of Distress grant to millions of people.
When the SRD grant was started during Covid there were 11 million people who benefited.
The government has increased the grant to R370.
In his State of the Nation Address Ramaphosa said they will make this grant a basic income grant to support millions of people.
The African National Congress (ANC) government wants a Basic Income Grant, but it has not been decided on the shape.
But the allies of the ANC also support the introduction of the basic income grant.
Ramaphosa also urged supporters of the ANC to vote for the ruling party on May 29.
“Comrades, it is important that on May 29 we must all go out in our numbers to vote. The ANC has done a lot in the past. In the last 30 years and the last five years the ANC has delivered,” said Ramaphosa.
The ANC government will continue to deliver houses.
The party has promised to also create millions of jobs.
When they launched the manifesto, said Ramaphosa, the ANC said it would create jobs for the youth.
IOL Politics