South Africa moves to implement national health bill despite resistance

FILE PHOTO: South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa gestures after signing into law a national health bill that aims to provide universal coverage to South Africans, at the Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa, May 15, 2024. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa is moving ahead with implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) bill, President Cyril Ramaphosa said, despite strong opposition from within and outside government.

The NHI aims to provide universal coverage through a major overhaul of South Africa's two-tier system. Ramaphosa signed the bill right before the May election in which his African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority.