The FF Plus has requested an urgent meeting of the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health before which the Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla, must appear to discuss the proposed regulations of the National Health Act.
The objective of the proposed regulations, which were published in the Government Gazette on the 15th of March, is to replace the recently lifted state of disaster, which placed restrictions on South Africans for about 750 days.
Parliamentary oversight over the process of the future handling of the Covid-19 and other pandemics must not be pushed aside; as was the case with the state of disaster and vaccination programme.
The management of a health crisis must be in line with science and, thus, goal orientated. Any restriction or measure that has no apparent scientific basis is senseless and an abuse of power.
So, the management of any pandemic and any associated restrictions must be accompanied by the necessary parliamentary oversight.
The ANC government's obsession with power must be stopped and Minister Phaahla has a golden political opportunity to take the lead and ensure that South Africans are not negatively affected by draconian measures and restrictions again.
The Minister would do well to step up as a strong leader who acts in the best interests of the country and not the ANC.
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