Overview
The public sector provides healthcare to ~80% of the population, while the private sector provides healthcare to ~20% of the population. In June 2018, the government introduced the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill to the public to address inequality in South Africa's health sector. NHI's intention is to ensure greater equity in South African healthcare.
As the industry is at the forefront of change, NHI is at the door and the COVID-19 pandemic inevitably puts pressure on the industry. However, positive changes create opportunities for long-term reform.
This research piece has included over 31 of the top healthcare executives in South Africa.
We identified five key insights that are in line with other international studies and can be used by company executives and other decision-makers to map the course of their organisation’s transformation:
- National Health Insurance (NHI) will revolutionise South Africa’s healthcare landscape and create opportunities for public private collaboration and innovation.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly transformed the outlook of healthcare organisations in terms of their preparedness and resilience measures.
- The future of healthcare is brighter than ever with innovation and technical disruption progressing in leaps and bounds.
- The healthcare industry needs an increased focus on Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) initiatives and measurement.
- Cybersecurity is critical for all organisations and is becoming an increased threat as data volumes increase.
The healthcare industry has to come together and prepare for the opportunities and challenges ahead. Afterall, healthcare first and foremost will always be about the patient at the heart of the matter.
