In Pravin Gordhan’s first budget speech of the 2017 year, there was more clarity made on the SSB Tax waiting in the wings for implementation. It supports the concept of classifying NCDs again as chronic diseases, linking it with disabilities and especially ensuring integration into the NHI district health services.
The SANCD Alliance and partners have made comments on the NHI and hope to be included in subsequent rounds of discussion.
Madam Speaker, the Government is moving towards the next phase of the implementation of National Health Insurance. We are committed to achieving universal health coverage, in line with the vision of the National Development Plan.
Eleven NHI pilots have yielded valuable insights, on which we are now able to build. These include:
The design of contracts with general practitioners,
More effective chronic medicine dispensing,
Strengthening district health services through clinical specialist teams, ward-based outreach teams and school health services, and
Supportive information systems.
In the next phase of NHI implementation, an NHI Fund will be established. Its initial focus will be:
To improve access to a common set of maternal health and ante-natal services and family planning services,
To expand the integrated school health programmes, including provision of spectacles and hearing aids, and
To improve services for people with disabilities, the elderly and mentally ill patients, including the provision of wheelchairs and other assistive devices.
The service package financed by the NHI Fund will be progressively expanded. In setting up the Fund, we will look at various funding options, including possible adjustments to the tax credit on medical scheme contributions. Further details will be provided in the Adjustments Budget in October this year, and in the course of the legislative process.
Taking into account the 160 submissions received from the public, the National Treasury and the Department of Health are working together to revise and finalise the NHI White Paper and 2017 Budget Speech 21 the longer-term financing arrangements. There will be consultations with stakeholders over the period ahead on reform of the medical scheme environment, including consolidation of public sector funds.
Over the next few months, I will be working with Minister Motsoaledi, Minister Nzimande and Minister Patel on planning the Limpopo Central Hospital and the new medical school of the University of Limpopo.
Government is committed to increasing investment towards health promotion targeting noncommunicable diseases alongside the implementation of the sugary drinks tax, such as diabetes screening and nutrition education.
The Standing Committee on Finance and Portfolio Committee on Health invite you to submit written submissions on the Taxation of Sugar Sweetened Beverages.
The Minister of Finance announced in the February 2016 Budget a decision to introduce a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) with effect from 1 April 2017 to help reduce excessive sugar intake. This announcement came against the backdrop of a growing global concern regarding obesity stemming from the overconsumption of sugar. Obesity is a global epidemic and a major risk factor linked to the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including heart diseases, type 2 diabetes and some forms of cancers. NCDs are the leading causes of mortality globally, resulting in more deaths than all other causes combined, and the world’s low and middle-income populations are the most affected. The problem of obesity has grown over the past 30 years in South Africa resulting in the country being ranked the most obese country in sub-Saharan Africa.
Public hearings will be conducted at Parliament on Tuesday, 31 January 2017.
Submissions and any interest in making oral presentation must be received by no later than 12:00 on Friday,27 January 2017.
Comments can be emailed to Mr Allen Wicomb at [email protected] by no later than 12:00 on Friday,27 January 2017.
Enquiries can be directed to Mr Allen Wicomb on tel. (021) 403-3759.
Issued by Hon. YI Carrim, MP, Chairperson: Standing Committee on Finance (National Assembly).
For a step by step guide on how to write a submission: Click Here
STATEMENT OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE, FROM LYNN SILVER, MD, MPH, SENIOR ADVISOR, CHRONIC DISEASE AND OBESITY PREVENTION,
The Public Health Institute applauds the sweeping action by voters across the country in San Francisco, Oakland and Albany in California and Boulder, Colorado, who successfully took things into their own hands and passed taxes on sugary drinks, protecting their communities from the ravages of chronic disease and poor health. Voters supported these measures with 54% in Boulder, 62% in San Francisco, 61% in Oakland and 71% in Albany. Boulder’s tax is 2 cents per ounce, the highest in the nation, and the others one cent per ounce. PHI congratulates these cities, their residents, and the broad coalitions that made these successes possible.
Oakland, San Francisco, Albany and Boulder are following in the footsteps of Berkeley, CA, Philadelphia, PA and Mexico in taking on the power of the soda industry to improve the health and well-being of their communities. These measures passed in spite of record-breaking spending by Big Soda of over $20 million dollars, and industry campaigns fueled by lies that falsely depicted the fee as a grocery tax.
The writing is on the wall. Voters will no longer tolerate the devastating impact of sugar sweetened beverages on their loved ones and communities. PHI was proud to join a broad coalition of organizations and individuals from all walks of life from the three Bay Area communities in supporting these measures. Their dedication bore fruit today.
The evidence is clear: soda taxes directly reduce sales of unhealthy beverages while also generating millions of dollars to support prevention and build healthier communities. Research measuring the impact of Berkeley’s tax, approved in 2014, found a 21% decline in sugary drink consumption in low-income communities and a 63% increase in water consumption after the tax, as well as a decline in sales of unhealthy beverages while healthier options increased sales, and there was no increase in overall grocery bills (PHI and UNC) in the first six months.
We look forward to similar impact in the communities that passed a tax today and to seeing more soda tax policies established across California, the nation and the globe. Today’s votes on soda tax were a victory for public health, the health of the Bay Area, Colorado and the will of the people.
This short film into the consumption of sugary sweetened beverages (SSB) by taxi drivers is a glaring reminder of why the SSB Tax is so urgently needed.
With the common misconception that it is the sugar that is helping him stay alert and focused while on the road is actually the thing killing him with each sip.
