South African government continues to lay the groundwork for National Health Insurance (NHI) in the country, releases framework national digital system to manage the sharing of health information between the public and private health sectors in the country.

Friday, October 21, the Ministry of Health published in the Gazette National Health Standards Framework (HNSF) 2021 on interoperability in digital health, detailing the plans of government to establish a comprehensive national health information system.

According to the ministry, HNSF is the agency that supports “the efficient and secure flow of people-centered health care information across provincial and organizational boundaries”.

The document facilitating the establishment of such a system is implemented and maintained by provincial, district and municipal departments and agencies as well as the private health sector, and in line with the draft national health insurance law, which is currently being discussed nationwide. Meeting. .

While this is a technical document for the underlying protocols and frameworks to be applied to such a system, the authors state that the overall goal of the plan is for health and medical data to be nationwide sharing, combining data from the private health sector. . field.

“A hybrid architecture model will be followed to enable interoperability in a fully interoperable South African healthcare environment,” they said.

“In other words, some health information systems – such as clinical registers – are managed by local and provincial departments, while others – such as population registers – managed by the Ministry of National Health. In addition, some health information systems are privately owned and developed by third parties.

“As the private health sector is part of a fully interoperable South African healthcare environment, it will need to share data with the National Registry at the request of the National Registrar. The NHI Bill. This sharing of information will be based on the standards defined in the latest version of the HNSF. “

The Document is an ongoing project and an evolution of the 2014 document of the same name. The document’s frameworks will remain in place until the next revision and will form part of the Department of Health’s 2019-2024 strategy.

The authors say HNSF is in line with a “level of agreement” on interoperability of the NHI Bill’s features, aimed at ensuring the sustainability of health service financing in the Global South.Africa.

Social insurance wants to pool funds from the private and public sectors and make the government the main buyer of health services in the country.

Under bill NHI, an information platform is needed for this plan, enabling informed decision-making about the health needs of the population and defining parameters for the delivery of health services. .

“For the Health Insurance Fund to function effectively, it must contribute to the development and maintenance of a national health information system … and accessible data must be made available to the Ministry of Health. National Health and Health Insurance Fund,” the authors say.

Prohibition of Vessel

The government has clearly stated that the pursuit of NHI will continue despite criticism from the private health sector, medical aid and warnings from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health.

South Africa’s health inspector, Professor Malegapuru Makgoba, warned earlier in October that government plans to introduce universal health care through NHI were fraught with obstacles and could has not been achieved at the rate desired by the government due to the low level of service in the industry.

In September, Health Secretary Joe Phaahla said the plan to roll out NHI in phases would continue, despite a Supreme Court ruling declaring parts of the National Health Act unconstitutional.

Private healthcare groups believe the program is unsustainable and unmanageable, given the magnitude of what the government wants to achieve in light of the government’s failings in the care sector. community health.

There are also concerns about the migration of medical professionals who refuse to be subjected to the harsh conditions of the regime, as evidenced by the court decision the department is appealing.

Medical aid fought for their continued existence, as the NHI program envisioned a health care system with complete state control and little or no room for funding. private primary for healthcare.

The Treasury warning comes from a financial standpoint – there is simply no money to feed the system without raising taxes.

Finally, the Ministry of Health raised a red flag on the management of the program, acknowledging that the program was vulnerable to mismanagement and mismanagement.