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JOHANNESBURG – South African Minister of Health Aaron Mozoaledi has strongly criticised Zimbabwe’s declining healthcare system, which has led to an increasing number of Zimbabwean patients seeking treatment in South African hospitals.
Zimbabwe’s public healthcare sector has been deteriorating for years, with the government failing to provide basic medicines such as painkillers despite heavy government investment in other areas of the economy.
Speaking at the Lekgotra meeting of the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee in Benoni, Mozoaledi, who has been the Minister of Health since July 4, likened the situation to a father sending his children to a neighbour’s house for dinner without prior consultation. He expressed frustration over the healthcare crisis in Zimbabwe and cited a recent case where a Zimbabwean doctor referred a stage 4 cancer patient to South Africa for a pint of blood.
Mozoaledi condemned the reliance on neighbouring countries for health services, arguing that Zimbabwe should focus on developing its own health infrastructure, including the ability to manage blood donations, rather than sending patients across borders for treatment.
His comments come against the backdrop of ongoing controversy surrounding Limpopo’s newly elected Premier, Phophi Ramathuba, who has previously criticised Zimbabwe’s governance for overburdening South Africa’s healthcare system. In 2022, Ramathuba faced backlash for his outspoken comments on the issue.
Mozoaledi also criticized African leaders for neglecting their own health systems and seeking medical treatment abroad when they are sick, resulting in their citizens not receiving adequate treatment. He called for an end to this practice, stressing that it is prevalent on the continent.
The late former president Robert Mugabe was often criticized for traveling to Asia for medical treatment, a practice many believe contributed to the chronic underfunding of Zimbabwe’s health sector. This has led to a large number of skilled medical professionals leaving Zimbabwe in search of better working conditions, further exacerbating the country’s health challenges.
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