Pressure mounts on Ramathuba over verbal abuse on Zimbabwean patient.

By Lehlohonolo Lehana.

Photo Credit: Alaister Russel.

The Association of Medical Councils of Africa says the behaviour of Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba puts the profession into disrepute.

This in contrast to Ramathuba’s verbal assault of a Zimbabwean patient in a local hospital in which she assailed a woman, claiming an influx of undocumented foreigners are “killing” hospitals.

Dr Kgosi Letlape from the Association of Medical Councils of Africa said: “I think her conduct was bringing the profession into disrepute. That is not the way we treat patients.

“It’s an engagement that could have happened at a better time. We need to fulfill the oath that we take to put the interest of the patient first.

“I don’t think she was xenophobic. We need to understand the stress the public healthcare system is under. Her ethical responsibility is to ensure that those who depend on the services that she’s responsible for receive quality care….when you have too many people for the budget that you have it compromises the quality of care that they should receive.”

The Progressive Health Forum wants Ramathuba dismissed. The organisation says the MEC’s actions contradict both ethical and constitutional guidelines.

The Forum’s Professor Alex van den Heever says that as a senior government official,  there must be consequences.

“There so many things that are wrong, one is the Hippocratic oath, but she was not in that situation as a doctor and she wasn’t there in a position as a doctor and also in a position to be able to see patients or to even speak to them or to challenge their conduct in any way.

“She in many respects was a private person when she was standing there before that patient and if I went into a hospital and started speaking to a patient like that, you know I should be arrested on the spot. It’s completely inappropriate,” he said.

“So she’s got no basis for acting as if though she’s got a role in berating that patient in any level.

“But you can’t get away from the fact that she is a senior representative of government and that disproportionate power relation and one that can influence other staff members is a serious one and that means that she really needs to be held to account for it.”

The EFF accused Ramathuba of being a populist who is joining the “pretentious and opportunistic campaign by the ANC to shift the responsibility of SA on so-called foreign nationals”.

The DA in Limpopo has written to the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on the issue.

“There are legislative channels the MEC can explore to deal with the challenges of resources that do not include embarrassing a patient seeking medical assistance,” said Risham Maharaj, MPL and DA Limpopo spokesperson for health.

According to annual reports, analyses by the Office of the Auditor-General, and numbers and statistics in the public domain, however, there were no indications of any significant adverse impact of foreign nationals on the healthcare system in the province, but enough evidence of poor management and weak financial controls contributing to a system in distress. 

The reports show:

  • Since Ramathuba took up her position in 2015, medico-legal claims against the department have increased to billions, posing a serious threat to the province.
  • Staff vacancies for critical posts, like specialists and nursing, have also increased, yet more than half of the department’s budget is spent on compensating employees.
  • While irregular expenditure is on a downward trend, a lack of consequence management appears rife, opening the door for continued deflection of resources.
  • The money is there – billions allocated to the department every year – yet consistent underspending per programme and a deviation of money from critical resources means there is little impact in clinics and hospitals. 

Had Ramathuba taken a closer look at her own data, she would have observed it is not foreign nationals who are “killing [her] healthcare system”, but her own management. 

Enormous medico-legal claims – not foreign nationals – could potentially put the department, and the province, at risk if not checked, and although contingent, could land the province under administration, Maharaj said.

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