The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) has called on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to provide clarity on the future of medical tax credits ahead of the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) to be delivered today.
The organisation has cautioned that scrapping medical tax credits before the National Health Insurance (NHI) becomes fully operational could have devastating consequences for affordability, potentially pushing hundreds of thousands of low-income South Africans out of private healthcare.
BHF Managing Director Katlego Mothudi emphasised the importance of a phased and transparent approach to healthcare reform. “Removing these credits too soon could make medical scheme membership unaffordable, forcing many out of private cover and into an already stretched public system,” said Mothudi. “We are thus urging the minister to confirm that these credits will remain until a sustainable, transparent plan for universal health coverage is in place.”
This year’s budget once again focuses on austerity, as Minister Godongwana continues to enforce strict fiscal discipline. Over the past few years, cuts to vital sectors such as education and health have drawn growing concern about the government’s ability to balance cost containment with social welfare, a concern now extending to the future of affordable healthcare access.
VOC News
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