‘We are ready for NHI,’ says Premier Mandla Ndlovu

['Tshwarelo Eseng Mogakane', 'Please Enter Your Name Here', 'Root', '--Ppa-Color-Scheme', '--Ppa-Color-Scheme-Active', 'Sourceurl Multiple-Authors-Widget-Css-Inline-Css', '.Pp-Multiple-Authors-Boxes-Wrapper.Pp-Multiple-Authors-Layout-Inline.Multiple-Authors-Target-The-Content .Pp-Author-Boxes-Avatar Img', 'Width', 'Important', 'Height'] Sunday World 2026-08-05 05:00:37

Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu on Tuesday declared the province ready for the rollout of National Health Insurance (NHI), using the official opening of the R1.6-billion King Nyabela Hospital to argue that the province has built the infrastructure needed to support universal healthcare. “President, we are preparing for National Health Insurance, and I think we are ready,” Ndlovu said. Ndlovu said the investment in public healthcare was driven by the reality that only 12.6% of Mpumalanga residents had medical aid, leaving 87.4% dependent on state healthcare services. “The majority of our people rely on public healthcare while most healthcare resources remain in the private sector,” he said. Ndlovu also announced plans to strengthen emergency medical services by expanding the provincial ambulance fleet from 195 to 215 vehicles.