Cosatu to support oversight of NHI

Published on the web by Business Report on September 24, 2009:

Union members should be allowed to monitor the implementation of the government’s proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) programme, Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) delegates said on Thursday.The delegates debated at the 10th Cosatu conference in Midrand, Johannesburg a resolution that would "ensure that the implementation of the NHI is mass driven so that our members can monitor the implementation".According to the resolution, while Cosatu supported the NHI it should also move to protect private sector medical workers through engagement with the government.The private sector was a target of the resolution that recommended that it be prevented from participating in the training and registration of the doctors.This was supported by the SA Medical Association (Sama) union which added that the trade federation should also work to monitor training by the government.To make sure they meet the requirements of training. As it stands now government does not adequately supply training," said Sama vice-chairwoman Phophi Ramathuba.The issue of standards and training was also raised by Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) which noted that trade unions should create standards by which to measure the NHI.Presently we are functioning in a vacuum and we cannot implement NHI in that vacuum. There should be standards in the health ministry," said Demosa president Ephraim Mafalo.The resolution also recommended that the NHI be used to create a state pharmaceutical company.It should "strengthen the move towards the creation of a state pharmaceutical company and local procurement of medicine," read the resolution.However, this was not enough for some delegates. During the discussions, the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union (Ceppawu) called for the nationalisation of the entire South African pharmaceutical industry."What we want to add is that we agree with the establishing of a state pharmaceutical company, but that’s not enough. We must nationalise the [pharmaceutical] sector because we cannot leave an essential service to the private sector," said Ceppawu delegate Petrus Petje. - Sapa