GUESTS:  Peirru Marx - Medical Sector network Coordinator at Solidariteit  

The National Health Insurance (NHI) has been dealt a major legal blow, with the Gauteng High Court ruling that provisions of the National Health Act that force doctors to register for a “certificate of need” are unconstitutional.

Trade union Solidarity, along with groups representing private practitioners, took the case to court in May this year, contesting sections related to the highly contested “Certificate of Need”, which the National Department of Health wants to adopt to exert more control over where doctors and medical professionals can practice in the country.