Johannesburg - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on
Wednesday the National Health Insurance system will be phased in over 14 years.
Speaking at the fifth Cosatu central committee meeting, Motsoaledi said such systems had to be phased in over time.
Cosatu and its allies the ANC and the SA Communist Party
have been pushing for a universal health care system for South Africa.
Motsoaledi said the current health system was unsustainable as most of the money was spent at specialists and mainly private hospitals, while the majority of the health issues could be handled by community clinics and education on health issues.
The major problem was that private medical aids did not pay
their members for staying healthy or taking medication that would keep them
healthy, he said.
"They want you to be very sick first before they
pay," Motsoaledi said.
He also called for the prices in health care, particularly
the private sector, to be regulated.
"Why should a circumcision cost R15 000 in a private hospital, while in a public hospital it costs just R400. It is the simplest of procedures," he said.