A government that cares for its people is one that protects them and endeavours to meet everyone’s needs, that offers good quality and sustainable education and health care services, that maintains infrastructure, that takes action against fraud and corruption regardless of race or skin colour.
The ANC government fails miserably in all these areas. There is no such thing as sustainable health care for the people and the public health care system, which was already inadequate before, has now totally collapsed under the pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The National Health Insurance (NHI) is being promoted as the ultimate lifeline and President Cyril Ramaphosa has made it very clear that it will become a reality. This is in spite of the fact that the government has thus far failed in everything it has undertaken and the people have good reason to be afraid to go to public hospitals and clinics.
It has now become abundantly clear that the government’s health care services are still not ready to handle the Covid-19 pandemic even though it had the extended Levels Four and Five of lockdown to prepare.
The government needs to wake up and realise that its senseless lockdown regulations, fraud, corruption and sheer inability to deliver proper medical services are destroying the country’s economy.
It is the government’s doing that the fiscus lost approximately R30 billion due to the ban on the sale of cigarettes, while there is no scientific evidence that the use of tobacco contributes to Covid-19 cases. The loss caused by the ban on alcohol already amounts to R11 billion.
How many hospitals and clinics could have been built with that money? How many more doctors and nurses could have been appointed? How many beds and personal protective equipment and oxygen could have been procured?
Instead, the Eastern Cape health care services are reminiscent of a war zone.
Health care workers who demand protective clothing are shot at, useless plans that come to nothing are tabled and money earmarked for ambulances is wasted on impractical motorcycles.
Instead of trying to turn around the health care services, the government has now decided to use its time and money to dig thousands of graves – surely this is an admission that the government realises it has failed miserably.
Against this backdrop, the FF Plus has very little hope that the R34 billion that was allocated to the Department will be used effectively. Most of the money will probably be swallowed up by the bottomless pit of ANC incompetence, fraud and corruption.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Philip van Staden on FF Plus
South Africa Today – South Africa News
