Herbert Rachuene The South African Council of Churches (SACC) in Limpopo in partnership with the Junior Doctors of South Africa (Judasa) will submit a memorandum of demands and an inventory on the appalling state of the public health system to the MEC of Health and Social Development. The submission of the memorandum will be preceded by a mass prayer walk to the department’s head office and that of the Premier on 12 August. During a Civil Society Health Indaba held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on Saturday, the two organisations found that the provincial public health system faces a lot of crippling challenges revolving around shortages of basic equipment, medicine and personnel in most public hospitals. "These challenges are mainly responsible for many unfortunate and preventable deaths that the poor and voiceless people suffer on a daily basis. These problems are also responsible for the high frustration levels of incumbent personnel and the reason why many health professionals, mainly doctors, have already left the province, and many more are planning to leave. It has now became the norm for doctors to their work without basic essentials such as X-ray machines, blood pressure apparatus, tuberculosis and diabetes medicine for their patients," said the national Chairperson Judasa, Dr Mahlane Phalane. He further said many are assuming that the chronic shortage of essential resources in public hospitals is attributable to the fact that Limpopo is one of the poorest provinces in South Africa and hence its fiscal budget for health would be far too little to cater for all the needs. The SACC Ecumenical Secretary, Rev Mautji Pataki said public hospitals in the province have earned a reputation among the public of being ill-equipped and poorly managed.
