National Health Amendment Bill, 2018 (Private Member's Bill)

In accordance with section 73(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, Dr Suzan Thembekwayo, MP intends to introduce the National Health Amendment Bill, 2018 (“Bill”), in Parliament during the first quarter of 2018/2019. An explanatory summary of the Bill is hereby published in accordance with Rule 276(1)(c) of the Rules of the National Assembly (9th Edition).

Healthcare challenges are not limited to specific time periods and can afflict a person at any time of day or night. Millions of South Africans are denied their right to have access to healthcare services as enshrined in the Bill of Rights because an insufficient number of healthcare facilities are open after hours, thus denying these South Africans access to healthcare facilities should they fall sick or become injured after hours.  People do not only get sick or suffer injury during the day when healthcare facilities, especially clinics, are open. Many South Africans live too far from hospitals and are therefore unable to access healthcare establishments all the time. Clinics are in most instances are the most effective health establishment to access.

The draft Bill will provide:
- For all clinics to operate and provide healthcare services twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week.

The Bill will be available on the website of the Economic Freedom Fighters  (https://www.effonline.org ) once it has been certified by the Chief Parliamentary Legal Adviser or a parliamentary legal advisor designated by him or her as required by Rule 279(4) of the Rules of the National Assembly (9th Edition).

Interested parties and institutions are invited to submit written representations on the proposed content of the draft Bill to the Speaker of the National Assembly within 30 days of the publication of this notice.

Comments can be emailed to the Speaker of the National Assembly at [email protected] and copied to Mr Patrick Lehmann-Grube at [email protected] by no later than Monday, 25 June 2018.

Enquiries can be directed to Mr Patrick Lehmann-Grube on tel (021) 403 8879


Copies of the Bill may, after introduction, be obtained from: The Economic Freedom Fighters Office Number 417, Marks Building Parliament, Cape Town Attention: Mr Patrick Lehmann-Grube