Parliament, Wednesday 15 March 2023 – The Portfolio Committee on Health was briefed by the Parliamentary Legal Services and the State Law Advisors on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill.
This committee briefing forms part of the legislative processes for the NHI Bill. The briefing forms part of the process the committee must undertake to ensure that the Bill goes through the proper parliamentary processes. The committee has conducted a public participation process of provincial and virtual public hearings. Following that, the committee received inputs from the Department of Health (which is the sponsor of the Bill) responding to the inputs and recommendations received during the public participation process. Thereafter, the committee conducted clause by clause deliberations of the Bill.
Committee Chairperson Dr Kenneth Jacobs said the briefing today provided the committee with a legal opinion on the Bill. Further engagement will resume next week when the members meet to discuss the legal practitioners’ input.
NCDs related outcomes for APP 202s/2023
NCDs are a neglected priority in the National Department of Health (NDoH) Annual Performance Plan 2022/23 (APP) which expires at the end of March. Only 4 /18 outcomes in programme 3 are NCD-related.
The bottom 2 rows in the table, require the re-development of national policies for mental health and obesity. Transparency and an inclusive process are problematic.
Our Constitution calls for the meaningfu involvement of civil society and people living with NCDs. Together these conditions impact millions of South Africans and place increasing burden on the health system.
It would also be great to see the reviews of the existing policies which should come before a new policy.
The NCDs+ National Strategic Plan 2022-2027, launched in May 2023, (see the top row in the table) Implying that the provinces will have be close to publishing the impemetion plans for obesity, diabetes and hypertension. I know there is lots hard work getting the plans ready. The Medium-Term Strategic Framework 2019-24 makes it clear that NCDs budgets and implementation must happend in at the sumbnational or provinical level.
The Department of Social Development has published the Draft Non-Profit Organisation Amendment Bill 2021, and is asking you to comment.
Comments can be emailed to the following: Luyanda Mtshotshisa at [email protected] or Mr Luyanda Ngonyama at [email protected] or Ms Mpho Mngxitama at [email protected] by no later than Friday, 18 November 2022 (more…)
The Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill, 2018 (Tobacco Control Bill) has reached the Cabinet which is a milestone in its passage into law. Here is the update on the progress to enact the Tobacco Control Bill
- The 1st pre-Cabinet Committee (Technical Working Committee) recommended the Bill to the next committee.
- The 2nd pre-Cabinet Committee of the Deputy Director Generals of the 18 national departments in the Social Cluster recommended the Bill progress.
- Following the 1 August 2022 NDOH presentation of the Bill to the Forum of the Directors-Generals (FOSAD) approved the Bill to be considered by the Cabinet.
Although much remains to be done in Cabinet and Parliament (National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces) before the Bill is enacted, progress at FOSAD is a milestone. The progress also highlightsthe important roles the various stakeholders play.
The letter from the NDoH inviting 15 of the SANCDA+ members to a technical launch of the NCDs NSP on 30 June and 1 July
Download the letter here All responses to Busi Nkosi View the draft programme here
SANCD A invite
