President Cyril Ramaphosa has reinforced the central role nurses will play in the successful implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI).

“Our nurses will be the backbone of NHI,” he told the ninth national congress of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) in Ekurhuleni on Wednesday, emphasising that Denosa's support will be crucial as the country prepares for the transition to a more inclusive and accessible healthcare system.

Ramaphosa said the passage of the NHI Act is a significant milestone in SA’s journey towards achieving a fairer society.

“The passage of the NHI Act was a milestone in our ongoing quest for a more just society, where one’s ability to access quality healthcare and services is not determined by where one comes from or one’s ability to pay,” he said.

He described the NHI as a key step towards realising a society that upholds the dignity of every citizen, especially in the most vulnerable moments of their lives. “The NHI will bring us closer to our aspiration of being a society where the human dignity of all is upheld at all times.”

The NHI, which is designed to pool funds to provide universal access to quality healthcare services, has faced significant opposition.

“The right to dignity matters most when people are sick, when they need help and when they are most vulnerable”

Ramaphosa acknowledged the emerging challenges within the nursing profession beyond the preparation for NHI, including the growing concerns about litigation against nurses and the increasing number of undocumented patients from neighbouring countries seeking treatment in South African public health facilities. 

“These are all important issues Denosa will need to deliberate upon as it charts a new course for the South African nursing profession.”

Denosa president Simon Hlungwani voiced the organisation’s full support for NHI, calling for universal healthcare coverage as a human right.

“Anyone who views government services as human rights, social justice, should not challenge the universal healthcare coverage... in this regard, the NHI. So all those who are challenging, you must just know they are anti-social justice, anti-human rights,” said Hlungwani.

Meanwhile, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the SACP's decision to contest elections independently raises “big” questions about the continuity of its alliance.

The national democratic revolution (NDR) had brought to the fore contradictions in the alliance and society.

“Like any living organism, our alliance is dynamic, constituted by four independent allies. Though we share common perspectives on the NDR, which unite us, we will always have differences. However, we are all committed to the unity and cohesion of the alliance.

“We are engaged in deliberations aimed at strengthening the alliance, which include discussions on the reconfiguration of the alliance, and to seek the most optimal way to ensure the effectiveness of the alliance on the political programmes of the movement.”

The ANC has been trying to convince the SACP to reverse its decision to contest the local government elections in 2026. The decision by the SACP came after talks of a reconfiguration fell on deaf ears, with the SACP and trade union federation Cosatu calling for equal status.