South Africa’s health minister Motsoaledi lambasts Zimbabwe over unpaid medical treatment

ZIMSPHERE 

South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi sharply criticised Zimbabwe and other African nations for burdening South Africa's healthcare system by sending patients without payment, labeling the practice as "unfair." 

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi [Image: GCIS]

During the ANC NEC Lekgotla in Benoni last week, Motsoaledi condemned African leaders who seek medical treatment abroad instead of improving healthcare in their own countries. 

He likened this neglect to "a father who tells his children to eat next door rather than engaging the neighbour to help address the family’s challenges."

Motsoaledi, who previously served as Home Affairs Minister before the GNU government, praised Eswatini for its approach, where citizens pay for medical care in South Africa through a medical aid scheme. 

"Eswatini has a medical aid not like ours. Because they are a tiny country, when one of their hospitals cannot treat you, they send you to South Africa via that medical aid and the medical aid pays for you. That means the country pays," he explained.

South Africa had advised Eswatini against sending patients to expensive private hospitals, fearing it would overwhelm their medical aid. Instead, Eswatini now sends patients to South African academic hospitals, ensuring sustainability for both nations.

While initially avoiding direct criticism of Zimbabwe, Motsoaledi eventually targeted President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration for sending citizens to South Africa for free treatment. 

He urged Zimbabwe to seek technical assistance from South Africa to bolster its healthcare system, rather than "throwing" patients across the border.

"Other neighbours don’t do that. They just close their eyes and let people cross the border [into South Africa]… It’s unfair," he stated publicly, acknowledging the sensitivity of the issue.

Motsoaledi recounted an incident where a Zimbabwean GP sent a patient with stage 4 cancer to South Africa, requesting a blood transfusion. 

"Blood is not manufactured. We get it from the population. There are human beings in Zimbabwe and they have blood, lots of it, for that matter," he said, urging Zimbabwe to develop its own blood donation systems.

He concluded by criticizing African Heads of State who seek medical care overseas, abandoning their citizens. 

"We have asked that that has to stop," Motsoaledi declared, calling for African leaders to prioritize local healthcare improvements.