Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health will request legal report from State Attorney on NHI Bill

15 August 2019

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, has said that as the committee starts its work on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, it will be important for the committee to get a presentation from the State Attorney on the legal advice that Office gave to the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, on the constitutionality of the NHI Bill.

Dr Dhlomo said: “As the committee starts this process, we want to address the concerns raised by various people, including those who think they will find space to challenge the constitutionality of the NHI Bill.”

The committee will request a meeting with the State Attorney, so that all members of the committee can be informed on the legal concerns that have been widely reported in the media.

“This should be done speedily, so that as we start with the NHI Bill we can set aside concerns and know the contribution of legal experts in the matter. The committee does not want anything untoward to delay public participation on the Bill. However, we still want to address concerns, hence the importance of starting with the State Attorney,” said Dr Dhlomo.

Issued by Yoliswa Landu, Media Officer, Parliamentary Communication Services, 15 August 2019