Focus on the real health care problem

I REFER to the article “Minister slams SA’s healthcare system” by Siviwe Feketha (Mercury, April 1).

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi criticised South Africa’s healthcare system saying it was riddled with disparities that did not exist anywhere else in the world.

I fully endorse what Motsoaledi said.

However, the ANC has been ruling South Africa for 25 years and did not make it a mission to improve the quality of hospitals and clinics in the country.

Motsoaledi is the health minister and it falls under his ambit to change our many neglected hospitals and clinics. He has been minister for almost a decade, and what has he really done to turn around the neglect? Instead, we see hospitals and clinics deteriorating and in a shocking condition.

Most of the time, he talks about the National Health Insurance (NHI) with large adverts placed in newspapers.

Billions of rand are required to implement such a service in an African third world country. It is a Western concept for Western countries.

It will do good for Motsoaledi to talk less about the NHI and get on with the work of improving hospitals and clinics.

Before embarking on an NHI programme, it should be his mission to