The FF Plus learnt with shock of the death of a homeless man outside the Tshwane District Hospital after he went to the hospital for help but was apparently 'too dirty' to treat.
The ANC government is making a big fuss about how it is going to improve public health care services so that everyone in the country will have access to good health care and there are even plans for national health insurance, which will involve private hospitals and medical aids.
The danger of this is that the government may fail to improve the level of services provided and that the level of services may instead drop to the level that this homeless man experienced. This incident serves as proof that the ANC's undertaking to take care of the poverty stricken in society is nothing but hollow words.
In its reply to Premier David Makhura's State of the Province Address (SOPA) yesterday, the FF Plus pointed out that it is crucial to have an ombudsman for health care in the province where poor service delivery can be reported. The ombudsman must also have the powers and capacity to take corrective action.
This incident once again refocuses the attention on the poor level of public medical services across the country and particularly at large hospitals, where incidents of poor treatment are well documented. People are dying unnecessarily and oftentimes the conditions are terrible as there are not enough beds, blankets and medicine.
The government is dreaming about super cities, but it is unable to deliver the most basic services. Any centralised medical services delivered by the government will, thus, be a disaster for the people of South Africa.
The FF Plus will follow up on this incident and ensure that it is brought to the relevant MEC's attention. The party will make sure that the ANC is held accountable for its irresponsible behaviour that has made people's lives seem cheap, both in this province and elsewhere in the country.
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