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Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi makes reckless statements on the NHI while the Gauteng Health Department remains riven by corruption and mismanagement that harms patients.
At a campaign meeting this week, Lesufi promised residents the following:
“After the 29th May 2024, you can go to any hospital of your choice, whether it’s a private hospital or a public hospital or a private clinic and get the best experts to treat you and after treating you the government will pay the bill”
This is yet another outrageous lie as he desperately seeks votes to be re-elected as Premier after the 29 May elections.
The NHI Bill has not yet been signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, and will be challenged in the courts because aspects are unconstitutional. Furthermore, there is no budget to fund it.
It is highly irresponsible for Lesufi to raise expectations for the NHI to drastically improve healthcare in the near future.
Meanwhile, patient queues are long and not a single hospital in the province complies with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The Department also lies in claiming that all surgery backlogs have been eliminated.
Year after year, the Auditor General gives scathing reports about the Gauteng Health Department, in stark contrast to the clean audits enjoyed by the DA-run Western Cape Health Department.
Blatant lies will not fix healthcare in Gauteng, which suffers from a deep rot that requires a top-level political change that the DA has proven it can provide.