Limpopo health MEC Phophi Ramathuba was recently captured on video shouting at a patient who is alleged to be an undocumented migrant, to a chorus of laughter from the group of health officials she was with.
She vents her frustration at having to give medical treatment to “undocumented” patients who, she shouts, are placing the public health system under strain, making it difficult for South Africans to receive medical treatment.
In an interview with 702’s Clement Manyathela the day after the video was circulated, Ramathuba dug in her heels even further, saying the patient had been here for elective treatment and wasn’t in need of urgent medical care. At no point did she concede that her conduct was unbecoming.
I will not get into the merits of the frustration she raised, but I do want to highlight that her behaviour was unbecoming and unacceptable – not only as a medical professional and government official but also just as a decent human being. I am also pretty sure that the Hippocratic Oath, which all medical doctors swear to, was contravened during her outburst.
A close family friend who is a medical practitioner contacted me to voice their displeasure at the MEC’s conduct, describing it as “deplorable”.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-08-28-limpopo-health-mecs-berating-of-zimbabwean-patient-is-appalling-and-shameful/
It shouldn’t need explaining that any person needing medical assistance is probably at their most vulnerable and speaking to them in a humiliating manner probably reveals more about your character than theirs. But it seems it does.
The officials who were with the MEC are no better themselves for tee-heeing at the spectacle.
Incompetence and corruption
The truth is that South Africa’s immigration system is in tatters as a result of systemic incompetence, and no amount of pontificating by the MEC can hide that.
Our dysfunctional Home Affairs system is riddled with corruption – from the border to the actual offices. The immense backlog of paperwork has been tabled in many reports for many years by organisations such as Amnesty International and civil society organisations such as Lawyers for Human Rights.
It’s not that our government is unaware of this. I would be intrigued to know whether Ramathuba would speak to her fellow government officials in such an impassioned manner in order for them to fix these systemic issues.
Perhaps we should also remember that Ramathuba is the same person who, when speaking to high school pupils in January, said: “To the girl child: open your books and close your legs” – and then made pupils repeat the statement back to her.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-08-30-zimbabwe-healthcare-is-it-as-bad-as-phophi-ramathuba-claims/
The inappropriateness of her statement earned quite a backlash and, even then, she dug in her heels, defending her statement as uncomfortable but necessary to curb the country’s teenage pregnancy problem and that “catchiness” is what works when talking to children.
Again, Ramathuba was found to be remiss in her ethical conduct, but also in her responsibility as a government official to deal with issues from a systemic point.
No one has the right to violate another’s dignity, even in the pursuit of what is claimed to be good. DM168
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.
