South Africa Plans Sweeping Changes to Health-Care System
- Government forges ahead with national health-insurance plan
- Draft law proposes abolishing co-payments for health care
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
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South Africa’s health-care system may face a major overhaul as the government moves ahead with plans to implement mandatory national insurance and reduce the cost of private care.
The revamp is part of an effort to broaden access to treatment in a country where more than 80 percent of the population lacks private insurance. This leaves many people relying on a public system with too few doctors and dilapidated hospitals and clinics. Of the 8.7 percent of South Africa’s gross domestic product spent on health care, less than half goes to state facilities, government data show.