These days, when you guys are sick, I hear you remark, “Let’s cross the Limpopo River; there’s a MEC there with a charity department.”
Instead of spending the funding for its intended purpose, I am functioning in accordance with Mnangagwa’s duties. Therefore, my people in Limpopo are unable to obtain health services. This infuriates the community.” She continues by stating that the health department received a budget based on the number of uninsured residents in the province, but she was using it for foreign immigrants, many of whom were undocumented. “You are murdering my health system.
This is unjust. Some people criticized the MEC when the video went viral on social media, while others praised her and felt she was speaking things that needed to be expressed. Ramathuba attempted to defend her remarks to News24 on Wednesday morning, claiming they had nothing to do with being “anti-illegal.” She asserted that she had been “misunderstood” because her region continued to provide medical care to anyone, regardless of nationality.
VIDEO: Limpopo Health MEC and provincial ANC official, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, slams a Zimbabwean patient at hospital in Bela-Bela
“Let me begin by stating that, sadly, the clip has been misconstrued. However, many who follow the province’s activity recognize that it has nothing to do with being anti-illegal (sic). “No one will be denied access to medical care. We have been and will continue to do so regardless of your Zim status.” The MEC stated that the health department had been implementing a programme to alleviate the surgical backlog caused by Covid-19, and she recently discovered that foreign persons were on the lists for elective surgery.
“While addressing the backlog in orthopedic surgery, I saw a ward where 19 out of 27 patients were illegal foreign nationals. The individual stated that he was involved in an accident in Harare and travelled to Musina after hearing that Dr. Phophi brings professional surgeons to the area. Ramathuba noted that the problem had persisted for some time and that her “counterparts” have been informed. She posed the question: If my counterparts do not care, must I also fold my arms and disregard the well-being of South Africans? At the time of publication, the national Department of Health had not issued a statement.
It will be included once supplied. Clayson Monyela, a spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), stated that Ramathuba’s outburst was not yet a “diplomatic incident.” “Only if Zimbabwe brought up the situation via diplomatic channels would Dirco become involved. So far, it’s not a diplomatic incident. He stated, “It has not been elevated.”
Did she violated the SAMA doctors pledge ?