Leaders of the Pan-African Parliament have criticised the Limpopo MEC for Health, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, for embarrassing a bedridden patient from Zimbabwe at a hospital in Bela Bela.
THE PAN-African Parliament (PAP), along with the SA Medical Council, has echoed the growing list of organisations in slamming Limpopo MEC for Health, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, for her conduct.
The MEC had embarrassed a bedridden patient from Zimbabwe at a hospital in Bela Bela, Limpopo, last week.
PAP lambastes Limpopo MEC
PAP members said such conduct was not consistent with the spirit of pan-Africanism and regional integration efforts being pursued by African leaders.
In an interview, PAP vice-president for Women’s caucus and Malawian legislator Victoria Kingstone described Ramathuba’s conduct as unbecoming, particularly coming from a woman, as reported by “Bulawayo24 News”.
“It’s so unfortunate, this is a female doctor ill-treating a patient. We are one Africa, whichever country one belongs to. When it comes to humanitarian issues we should behave as human beings,” she said.
“I am attending a PAP session, and I might fall sick and might need medical assistance here. Let’s treat all human beings whether they are in a foreign country or not, equally. I condemn strongly the behaviour shown by that doctor, it is unacceptable.”
South African government response
The South African government last week said that its department doesn’t have the full context of the video conversation between the MEC and the patient, which makes it difficult to draw a conclusion.
“We acknowledge that the public health-care system is struggling in some areas to meet the health-care needs of the citizens and reduce the backlogs due to an unpredictably high number of undocumented migrants from neighbouring countries seeking health-care services in the country, other than asylum-seekers and refugees.
“This issue is one of the subjects being discussed during bilateral and multilateral meetings at SADC level in order to find a long lasting solution.
“Limpopo Province is one of the affected provinces, and despite these challenges, the health-care workers must ensure that they maintain a high moral obligation and standards in their work in line with the Hippocratic Oath, together with the National Health Act and the Refugee Act of South Africa.“
The South African government said that that does not mean that all services are free, “because only primary health-care services are provided free of charge, but higher levels of care are subject to a fee”.
“The Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla is currently out of the country, and the Acting Minister of Health, Angie Motshekga, has instructed the department to gather all necessary information which will enable her to provide Phaahla with a full report on his return.”
