SA’s doctor shortage has often been seen as a stumbling block for National Health Insurance (NHI). But the man behind a seven-year experiment in Soweto could point the way forward.

Prof Shabir Moosa, a family physician from Wits University who runs the Chiawelo Community Practice, said lessons from the pilot project could be valuable for general practitioner-led teams under NHI.

Moosa’s “real-life model for NHI” has shown that a team of three medical interns, a mid-level medical practitioner, three nurses and 20 community healthcare workers eliminated lengthy queues...