"The national health insurance system is a promise to end the glaring inequalities that have for too long determined who gets access to decent care and who gets left behind," Ramaphosa said at the formal signing ceremony in Pretoria, which was broadcast live on television. In South Africa, ranked the world's most unequal country by the World Bank in 2022, public hospitals are often overcrowded and lack resources such as medicines and staff. Currently, 80% of the population relies on public health services, while around 16% have access to private healthcare through medical aid schemes. The country has an unemployment rate of 32.9%, with the black majority population largely unable to afford private healthcare. The new universal health coverage system, known as the National Health Insurance (NHI), aims to provide equal access to healthcare for around 62 million South Africans, with set tariffs determined by the state and a fund financed by taxes and contributions. The National Assembly passed the controversial bill in June after a lengthy debate. The opposition fiercely opposed the legislation, fearing its "promise of everything for free to everyone" would collapse an already overburdened system and lead to a mass exodus of healthcare professionals. The predominantly white Afrikaner opposition party, the FF Plus, said the signing into law of a bill that has been in the works for years was ill-timed. South Africa is due to hold general elections on May 29, which are expected to be tough for the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which risks losing its outright majority in parliament for the first time. The ANC is "prepared to sacrifice the entire health system to stay in power for one more term," the FF Plus charged. The Health Funders Association (HFA), an organisation representing stakeholders involved in the financing of private healthcare, said it would take a long time for the scheme to be implemented. The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), which has一直 opposed the NHI, is due to hold a media briefing later on Tuesday. Read Also: Unemployment in South Africa rises to 32.9% in the first quarter (Portuguese version)