The Cabinet has approved the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill for publication in the Government Gazette for public comment.

According to a post-Cabinet media statement issued on Friday‚ the Bill seeks to establish the NHI Fund of SA as a public entity to provide a health service that is affordable and of high quality. It also sets out the functions‚ powers and duties of the fund.

"The Bill provides a framework for the active purchasing of healthcare services by the fund on behalf of users and creates mechanisms for the equitable‚ effective and efficient use of the resources of the fund to meet the health needs of users‚" the Cabinet statement said.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi will hold a media briefing next week to give more details about the Bill.

Its endorsement for release by Cabinet follows the recent approval of the release of the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill‚ which goes hand in hand with the NHI Bill‚ for public comment. The amendment Bill heralds a major shake-up of the medical scheme industry‚ with new rules for benefits‚ prices and governance.