Pretoria – Creating a bridge between the country’s health sector haves and have-nots, and sharing skills and resources is key in the successful implementation of the government’s National Health Insurance (NHI).
To create a platform to meet the needs of the larger population and take on the burden of disease which has almost crippled the public health sector would require precise planning and strategy, speakers told a seminar on the NHI and the health needs of the poor, held at the weekend.
Speakers at the Albertina Sisulu Executive Leadership in Health policy seminar agreed the NHI was important to improve the country’s social and health status.
The government would not be able to implement it without the help of the private sector, they said.
The stakeholders noted areas of concern, with Professor Charles Honkolo of the Human Sciences Research Council saying the pooling of resources and their channelling to areas of the greatest need was of great importance.