President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will meet business organisations in the coming days to discuss their objections to the National Health Insurance (NHI), following a request from Business Unity SA (Busa).

He said the NHI would also be discussed soon with the GNU parties in a soon-to-be-established ‘technical committee’ that will be set up to resolve major political disagreements, avoiding crises such as that over the Bela Bill. 

Fin24 reports that Ramaphosa signed the NHI into law before the May election, but it has not been promulgated.

However, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has initiated the process to set up the NHI board and has been on a roadshow to promote the NHI around the country.

At the time of the agreement to form a GNU, the DA had made clear that the NHI Act, as it stands, was a red line for the party.

Ramaphosa said: ‘I had a long discussion with (Motsoaledi) and said we must never say to South Africans that we will not meet you or that there are things that cannot be discussed. Anything can be discussed because it is in discussing matters that you can find a solution. So yes, the NHI will be discussed with business this coming week, and we will see what proposals are put forward.’

Fin24 notes that business organisations, the SA Medical Association, the DA, the Competition Commission, and numerous other stakeholders have submitted to Parliament alternative suggestions for the NHI.

But despite several years of consultation, the NHI Bill proceeded through Parliament without a single meaningful change from the original tabled by Motsoaledi's predecessor, Joe Phaahla.

Top among the concerns of the business community is the section of the NHI Act that prohibits medical aid funds from reimbursing members for services offered by the NHI.

This has been viewed as an attempt to effectively shut down private health.

This, they argue, will jeopardise the overall quality of healthcare.

Full Fin24 report