The government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) policy aims to expand access to healthcare for all South Africans, regardless of their financial circumstances, stated Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi.<\/p>\n
The Minister was speaking at the 2024 Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) Symposium titled “Innovate, Integrate and Accelerate – a Universal Health Coverage Commitment” on the morning of 26 September 2024. This year\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s symposium follows President Cyril Ramaphosa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s signing of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law in May, marking a pivotal moment in the government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s commitment to a healthcare system that serves all South Africans.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Some may view the NHI as merely another piece of legislation, but it represents a significant step toward rethinking and reimagining a healthcare system that fulfils the promise of universal health coverage,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Minister Buthelezi said.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This Bill, now a law, brings us closer to our collective ambition of ensuring equitable access to health services, regardless of socio-economic status,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he added.<\/p>\n
Established in 2005 to provide healthcare for public servants often excluded from private medical schemes, GEMS is now South Africa\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s largest restricted medical scheme, serving over 800,000 principal members and two million beneficiaries.<\/p>\n
Minister Inkosi Buthelezi commended GEMS for its role over the past two decades in extending health coverage to predominantly low-income public servants. However, he expressed concerns about the disease profile of members and their dependents, attributing many health issues to lifestyle choices.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The claims processed by GEMS each month indicate a troubling trend. Many illnesses are lifestyle-related, highlighting a gap in education among members and families still struggling with poverty,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he noted.<\/p>\n
Calling for a holistic approach to healthcare, the Minister emphasised that health should encompass more than just the absence of illness, it requires ongoing promotion of well-being and healthy lifestyles.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153To achieve this, our focus must extend beyond healthcare services. We need to address broader determinants of health, such as housing and education. If we fail in those areas, at the very least, nutrition should be our priority,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the Minister advised.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The government\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) policy aims to expand access to healthcare for all South Africans, regardless of their financial circumstances, stated Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Inkosi Mzamo Buthelezi. The Minister was speaking at the 2024 Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) Symposium titled “Innovate, Integrate and Accelerate – a Universal Health […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4529,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4589"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4590,"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4589\/revisions\/4590"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dpsa.gov.za\/thepublicservant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}