By Hopewell Chin’ono
There is a massive medical crisis brewing in South Africa that will have huge implications if handled emotionally instead of rationally.
Many Zimbabweans and other foreign nationals who were receiving antiretroviral medication funded by America have been left with nowhere to turn for this life-saving treatment.
Here is a very important point that both South Africans and African leaders must bear in mind;
This medication made it possible for people to have sex without infecting each other.
If you deny foreign nationals access to antiretroviral medication because of their immigration status, they will end up sleeping with locals and infecting them too.
This is not an emotional issue, it is a scientific one that leaders must handle with care, or else years of HIV mitigation work will be undone in a short space of time.
Yes, we do not support illegal immigration, but should we expose many innocent locals to the virus just to make a point?
This will affect both the undocumented immigrants and the local population. Nobody wins.
Viruses do not check passports. If the goal is a healthier South Africa, denying treatment to neighbours in need will backfire on everyone.
We need a practical solution, one that protects South African resources while ensuring that no one becomes a public health risk due to neglect.
SADC must urgently convene to address this growing crisis, which threatens not only the health of foreign nationals but also the broader public health stability of the region.
For years, warnings have been issued to the ANC about the dangers of propping up Zimbabwe’s corrupt ZANUPF regime, and now the consequences are beginning to spill over South Africa’s borders.
If access to HIV medication is denied based on immigration status, it will undo decades of progress and engulf South Africa in a preventable health disaster.
HIV knows no nationality, and the price of ignoring this reality will be paid by both citizens and non-citizens of South Africa alike.
Some South Africans will end up selling their own medication, endangering their lives, and hospitals and clinics will eventually become entangled in a corrupt network trading these medicines.
This is indeed a delicate and complex situation that requires careful consideration and rational decision-making from all parties involved.
Denying access to life-saving antiretroviral medication to foreign nationals, including Zimbabweans, based on their immigration status is not only an infringement of basic human rights but also poses a significant public health risk to South Africans.
Failure to address this issue promptly and effectively will have devastating consequences for public health in South Africa and the region.
The screen short below reads;
How are you big brother?
I am fine how are you?
I need your help, do you know anyone who sells ARV medication, I have a friend who needs it?
They refused to give them at the clinics because of their passport/ immigration status.
