Zodidi Mhlana
JOHANNESBURG- The country’s healthcare system has been worsening over the past years and a new health minister must be appointed to tackle all existing problems, this is according to the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa).
Problems of overcrowding, a shortage of nurses and inadequate resources have prompted some to say the system was on the verge of collapse.
“Denosa fully agree with Health Ombudsman’s version that the country’s healthcare is collapsing. In fact, the World Health Organization share the similar view, when it recently revealed that the country’s health system is one of the worst in the world. Denosa has noted with great concern the fast pace at which the country’s healthcare system is going down, with very little intervention from the top despite glaring evidence of this downward spiral,” Denosa’s spokesperson Sibongiseni Delihlazo said.
Last month Health Ombudsman Malegapuru Makgoba issued a warning about challenges in the sector.
Some have called for Health Minister, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi to resign saying that the healthcare system had collapsed under his watch.
Motsoaledi admitted that the sector was “going through a hard time and very distressed.”
“The system finds itself extremely overloaded. This has resulted in very long waiting times in most of the facilities and lowering of quality in others,” the minister said.
Delihlazo said that President Cyril Ramaphosa should appoint a new health minister who would be able to fix the ailing healthcare sector.
“More disappointing to Denosa has been the continued absence of leadership from the national Department of Health, particularly from the Minister of Health. The NEC reiterates the call that the minister of Health is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the multifaceted challenges in health and that the best possible solution is for President Cyril Ramaphosa to cut the loss and appoint a new minister with a clear vision and a turn-around strategy before the country regress on the successes that it has made on the health outcomes,” Delihlazo said.
He said that Motsoaledi should have tackled problems in the sector over the last nine years since he was appointed to the position.
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