Cape Town – Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba has said that her department will be billing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government for illegal Zimbabwean patients who access health services at her province’s health facilities.
Ramathuba said this while addressing another Zimbabwean patient, in a new video that is currently circulating on social media.
In the video, Ramathuba can be heard telling medical personnel to keep a record of bills for illegal Zimbabwean nationals receiving treatment at their hospitals and the bills would be sent to Mnangagwa.
“What is Mnangagwa doing? Mnangagwa is out of order. He must do his work. I’m going to bill him.
ALSO READ | WATCH | ‘You are killing my health system,’ SA’s Limpopo health MEC tells Zimbabwean patient
“Let’s really be serious. Let’s cost all the foreigners, especially with our rural health matters. We (will) send the bill. All the bills, including the (child) deliveries that we have had, must be sent to their government.
“I’ll also issue a statement, saying the Limpopo government has sent a bill of so many millions for this month for Zimbabweans who crossed the bridge to come (and get healthcare from us).
“There are pregnant women with Zimbabwean medical cards that are written that the place of delivery is South Africa. We are midwives and doctors and we cannot turn away pregnant women. They are not the ones who made Mnangagwa president, but I will send the bill. He must pay me,” said Ramathuba.
“What is Mnangagwa doing, he is doing nothing and @PhophiRamathuba is doing his job,” says the Limpopo MEC for Health Dr @PhophiRamathuba speaking to a Zimbabwean who was in South Africa to give birth.
“Mnangagwa is out of order, he must do his work,” Dr Ramathuba added. pic.twitter.com/qzqvg97O30
— Hopewell Chin’ono (@daddyhope) August 31, 2022
This is the second video in which the MEC addresses a Zimbabwean patient about the province’s health system and how Zimbabwe must take responsibility for the health care of its people.
The first video caused quite a stir and trended on Twitter, sparking a debate about South Africa’s health system.
Following Ramathuba’s statements, the South African health department has acknowledged the challenges she raised and revealed in a statement that the issue was one of the subjects discussed during bilateral and multilateral meetings at SADC level to find a long-lasting solution.
The Sowetan reported on Friday that Health Minister Joe Phaahla had since indicated that the national health department was considering charging neighbouring countries for immigrants who accessed health services in South Africa.
“There have been suggestions and acknowledgment that the issue of additional services from neighbours does add additional pressure and that we must find ways to deal with it, including possibilities of contributions for some of the services by the governments of the neighbouring countries,” the report quoted Phaahla as saying.
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Picture: Twitter/ @DimitryHlonisky
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Compiled by Olwethu Mpeshe
