Durban: The DA and EFF are calling for Limpopo's Health MEC to be axed over the comments she made to a foreign national seeking treatment at a provincial health-care facility.
Dr Phophi Ramathuba was filmed telling a patient to get medical treatment in her own country because South Africa's health-care system was being burdened by foreign nationals. She then told staff at the Bela Bela hospital that the woman must pay for treatment before she was dismissed.
The DA health spokesperson in Limpopo, Risham Maharaj, said the party had written to the South African Human Rights Commission about the MEC's "unacceptable conduct".
He said she must be fired in order to save the province's health system.
“We consider Ramathuba’s comments as xenophobic, inconsistent with the standard of treatment that should be afforded to a patient and not in the best interest or well-being of the patient," he said.
Maharaj said there were legislative channels the MEC could explore to deal with the challenges of resources, channels that did not include embarrassing a patient seeking medical assistance.
"It is disingenuous of the MEC to use foreign nationals as a scapegoat and blame them for the province’s ailing health system. Her irresponsible utterances might even stoke xenophobic attacks from locals who believe foreign nationals are responsible for the poor healthcare services in Limpopo," he said.
The EFF said the "attack was cruel and malicious and has no justification".
"It is a slippery slope, because health rights are human rights, and to attempt to rationalise the denial of the provision of health care on the basis of someone's nationality, will lead to gross human violations whose logic is pure hatred. It will graduate from denial of health care on the basis of nationality, to the denial of health care on the basis of tribe and provincial origin and, ultimately, a denial of health care on the basis of one's contribution to the tax revenue that is meant to ensure that all people are provided with basic human rights," EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said.
"We call on the removal of Ramathuba as an MEC, as she has clearly violated the integrity of a patient and undermined the Hippocratic Oath, by causing intentional harm and humiliation to a patient. She is unfit to hold that office, and must be released to practise her hatred of African people outside of the levers of state power," he added.
Meanwhile, Ramathuba has defended her statements.
“When people of Limpopo are waiting to be operated and they are not getting joy, they come to no one other than myself. And when there are challenges that I see that are affecting initiatives as a province, I will have to address those challenges.
“So, yes, I will have to deal with anything that has to do with health issues in my province, for the sake of these people of Limpopo,” Ramathuba said.
In an interview with the SABC, the MEC said it was her responsibility to ensure that the people in her province lived a long and healthy life.
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