According to the Sowetan newspaper some hospitals in the province of Limpopo are experiencing problems that include shortage of medical and food supplies. The latter, understandably, necessitates that relatives and friends should cook three meals a day for patients. This state of affairs forces one to think about the feasibility and/or burdensome nature of this demand on people of a province as poor as Limpopo.
Jane Furse Hospital, rampant poverty and now shortage of supplies
Jane Furse Hospital is situated some 300 kilometres from Pretoria (the national capital) and some 125 kilometres from Polokwane (the provincial capital). It is situated in a place called Sekhukhune which is, like many remote and rural areas in South Africa, poverty stricken. So, it is likely that many of those affected by this hospital disaster would find it exteremely difficult to perform this duty (i.e. feeding their loved ones in hospital).
The story reported is that Jane Furse Hospital has run out of food supplies for patients with the result that relatives and friends of patients have to cook meals for such patients and take them to the hospital. Another allegation, which is denied by the provincial government, is that the hospital also experiences shortage of medical supplies. At least one patient, who spoke on basis of anonymity, claimed that the hospital had run out of medicines prescribed for her arthritic condition but was creative enough to give her something else as an alternative. The alternative medicine—no surprises there—does not work for her. Well the less said about this unfortunate situation the better.
When one hears a story like this and the need for food to be taken to the hospital for patients, one immediately thinks about the poverty that plagues this area and the fact that to expect these villagers to supply meals to patients must be a big ask. There are many reasons for this but chief among them is that, in most cases, a hospital (e.g. Jane Furse Hospital) is situated a long distance from the places/villages that it serves. This implies that the relative/friend is not only faced with the responsibility to prepare meals but also to incur expenses in respect of transport to and from the hospital. Remember, most people normally eat three meals a day. The alternative would be to ask someone who stays nearer to the hospital (i.e. a walking distance) to carry this responsibility where possible. Needless to say this is not an option readily available to all the patients.
Why the shortage? Tenderpreneurs and the government
According to reports, there is a dispute between service providers to the hospital and the government. Apparently the service providers—read tenderpreneurs—were not paid and they stopped hospital supplies. If there were any doubts about the evils of tenderpreneurship, this Jane Furse Hospital fiasco should go a long way in confirming this. Hospital patients are the most vulnerable of citizens and the government has a duty to take care of them. As a leader of the doctors’ union is reported to have requested, the service providers should not punish the patients but follow proper channels to deal with their grievances. Be that is it may, the problems seems to lie with the health authorities in Limpopo for not having dealt satisfactorily with the matter before it reached the stage where it is. What happened to hospitals being essential services? Perhaps it is about time the Minister of Health (Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi) intervened in this situation. By the way that is the Minister’s home village and for a long time he plied his trade as a medical doctor in that area.
Tenderpreneurship is bad for the country and now also for people’s health
Complaints and criticisms about tenderpreneurs abound. Perhaps they deserve the attention because they do too much damage to be left alone. Tenderpreneurs have no other interest in the health and/or general well-being of patients at Jane Furse or elsewhere for that matter. Their interest lies mainly—if not solely—in making profits. It is conceivable to say: ‘the more the patients, the more the supplies and the bigger the profit margin’. When the government does not pay them, as it is alleged, they simply stop supplying with very little care as to the fate of the patients. From this perspective, it is understandable why health care (and running of hospitals) is a responsibility of government. Why is this service, therefore, so easily outsourced? Understandably some responsibilities have to be outsourced because authorities cannot do everything. But what measures are there to ensure that the frail and sick are not exposed to the mercy of tenderpreneurs? Perhaps it is wrong to use “mercy” and “tenderpreneurs” in one sentence for obvious reasons, but it is the only way to make the point.
This unfortunate situation is an indictment on government for a variety of reasons. Fortunately for this government, this community is so poor that there is no probability for it being taken to task. The people living there are systematically denied access to justice and channels to make effective protests. It is unlikely, therefore, that government will be taken to court even if the worst happens to patients in this situation. And come the next elections, residents of that area will still flock in their numbers to vote for the African National Congress (ANC). By the way, the ANC always gets in excess of 90% of votes in some areas surrounding Jane Furse Hospital.
Sources
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2012/01/19/limpopo-hospitals-run-out-of-food.
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