The The Readiness of Public Hospitals on the Implementation of National Health Insurance in South Africa: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill has been established to improve access to healthcare. The public health hospitals which will be providing care will have to be prepared for the rollout of the NHI. In order to better understand the nature, effectiveness, relevance, and challenges facing the public healthcare system, this review assesses and discusses the available literature on the readiness of South Africa's public healthcare system in preparation for NHI. This study adopted the non-empirical research design: Systematic review and analysed previously published research on the readiness of public hospitals on the execution of NHI in South Africa. Additionally, a narrative literature review was used. In light of this, the researchers used a purposive sample strategy to collect secondary data gathered from different research platforms that were specifically devoted to the subject at hand. In order to achieve data saturation, limited data from the years 2013 to 2023 (Not in order) were used to construct the selection criteria. Credibility was ensured by employing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and the Critical Appraisal Skill Programme. There are identified challenges that will impede the execution of the NHI. These include challenges such as inadequate human resource, poor leadership and governance, lack of integration of health system data, and inadequate budgetary allocations. This is made worse by the current state of most public hospitals, which are marked by poor administration, poor and inadequate infrastructure, and shortage of medicines which therefore affects service delivery. In ensuring that the public has access to a healthcare system that is both accessible and affordable, it is without a shadow of a doubt that the NHI's goals could prove to be a viable strategy for reforming the country's national health system. Given the identified challenges, this paper recommends that the timeframe for complete execution of NHI be adjusted so as to solve the challenges first.