WHO Representative Delivers United Nations Statement of Support for National Health Insurance to the Honorable Minister of Health
Pretoria, 15 March 2016 - During the annual ODA Coordinating Forum chaired by the Honorable Minister and attended by a dozen ambassadors, the WHO Representative in her capacity as Acting UN Resident Coordinator, delivered the UN statement of support. In the statement, the UN recognized National Health Insurance as the embodiment of South Africa’s international commitments that recognize health as a right for all individuals.
There was a understanding of the challenges in implementing Universal Health Coverage based on the deep and persistent inequalities in the health sector. At the same time, the UN was impressed by the progress made so far in expanding access to basic services, improving quality in the public health sector, and addressing the high prices in private health care. In particular, the United Nations in South Africa considers the inequalities between the public and private health sectors in the distribution of health resources as unacceptable, and the current situation as posing a major barrier to the achievement of the basic right to health care as articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UN reaffirmed its collective support to the National Department of Health in the implementation of the NHI to ensure that the people of South Africa live long and healthy lives.