South African Correspondent
Johannesburg – South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has criticized Zimbabwean and other African leaders for seeking medical treatment abroad while failing to provide adequate healthcare for their own citizens at home.
“Leaders who can’t provide healthcare for their own citizens should not be in leadership,” said Minister Aaron Motsoalsai.
Motsoaledi used a stark analogy to drive home his point:
“A father who tells his children to eat next door instead of working to address the family’s challenges is not a good father. Similarly, leaders who send their citizens to other countries for medical treatment instead of fixing their own healthcare systems are not good leaders.”
He praised Eswatini’s approach, where citizens are covered by a medical aid scheme that pays for treatment in South Africa, and suggested that Zimbabwe follow suit.
“We can’t just have Zimbabwe throwing its patients across the border for free treatment. That’s unfair,” fumed Motsoaledi.
“Instead, they should ask for technical assistance to strengthen their own healthcare system.”
Motsoaledi also criticized the broader trend of African heads of state seeking medical treatment on other continents, rather than investing in healthcare for their citizens at home.
“This is a problem that affects not just South Africa, but the entire continent. We need to prioritize building robust domestic healthcare infrastructure,” he said.
Motsoaledi’s comments come amid strains on South Africa’s healthcare system due to medical tourism from neighboring countries, and highlight the need for African leaders to take responsibility for their citizens’ healthcare.
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