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ActionSA is proud to announce our intention to table the Parliamentary and Provincial Medical Aid Scheme (PARMED) Amendment Bill in Parliament. The Bill seeks to end the outdated practice of compulsory membership in the exclusive PARMED medical aid scheme for Members of Parliament and other public office bearers, instead making membership in this scheme voluntary.

This intervention represents the first step in ActionSA’s broader mission to ensure that public representatives experience the same realities as the people they serve – starting with public healthcare. For far too long, members of parliament and other office bearers have been shielded by a medical aid scheme exclusive to them, insulated from the daily struggles of millions of South Africans who rely on collapsing public healthcare services. 

By making PARMED voluntary, this Bill restores the freedom of choice for MPs and judges to either remain on PARMED, join a different medical aid scheme, or, importantly, make use of public healthcare facilities like the people they represent.

The costs of compulsory PARMED membership have become increasingly unsustainable, with deductions running into thousands of rands each month for members who often do not want or need the scheme. More critically, compulsory membership entrenches a double standard where public representatives enjoy a level of healthcare access that the majority of citizens can only dream of.

ActionSA believes that real change requires leaders who are prepared to share in the lived experiences of South Africans. If MPs and ministers are forced to use public healthcare, there will be a direct political incentive to fix the system that millions depend on.

The PARMED Amendment Bill is therefore not only about fairness and affordability, but also about accountability. It begins a process of aligning the interests of public representatives with the citizens they serve.

Visit https://www.actionsa.org.za/policy/healthcare/ for more information, and email your support of the bill by 28 September 2025 to speaker@parliament.gov.za and copied to parliament@actionsa.org.za. 

Issued by ActionSA Member of Parliament Dr Kgosi Letlape