The National Assembly passed the controversial National Health Insurance Bill on Tuesday, pushing it a step closer to being signed into law.
The bill, which seeks to achieve universal health coverage for all South Africans, was first introduced to Parliament in 2019.
It will now be sent to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence.
Parliamentary spokesperson, Moloto Mothapo says the National Health Insurance Fund will purchase health care services for all users who are registered with it.
All 200 ANC MPs voted in favor of the bill, while all DA's 71 MPs voted against the bill.
The EFF, IFP, Freedom Front Plus, ACDP, and ATM also voted against the bill but there were still not enough votes from the opposition to shoot it down.
GOOD party, NFP, AIC, and PAC were amongst the opposition parties that voted with the ANC in support of the bill.
The controversial bill has been opposed by various civil society organisations and policy institutes, including the South African Institute of Race Relations, which has continuously warned the government against the implementation of the bill.
But Health Minister Joe Phaahla defended the bill, saying it seeks to stop the health gap between public and private health services.
