The MEC for Health in Limpopo, Phophi Ramathuba has defended her fierce outbast at a Zimbabwean patient whom she embarrassed saying Zimbabwean patients are choking the SA health system due to misgovernance by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
While defending her earlier rant against the patient, she further slammed Zimbabwean government officials for rushing to South Africa for treatment when they are sick while failing to upgrade Zimbabwe’s public hospitals.
Ramathuba stirred a heated debate recently when she was filmed scolding a Zimbabwean patient who had sought medical services in one of the hospitals she presided over.
She was reprimanded following the incident with others calling for her immediate sacking.
However, in response she vowed to stick to her guns, lambasting Zimbabwean government officials in the process.
“Our SADC partners are willing to pay private hospitals in SA, millions of rands but not willing to reimburse the state hospitals which attend to millions of their citizens,” she blasted.
Apparently, the Zimbabwean health sector is in the woods.
Health workers have been up in arms with the government demanding better salaries and working conditions.
And senior government officials including President Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga fly to SA for treatment when they are sick.
At one point, Mnangagwa had to be flown to SA for treatment after he was allegedly poisoned at a ruling party function.
Zwnews
