The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Limpopo has called for the sacking of the Health MEC Dr. Phophi Ramathuba following her recent statement.
Ramathuba has defended the statement she made in a recent video at Bela-Bela Hospital that Zimbabweans are placing a strain on the province’s healthcare system.
Ramathuba was filmed confronting a foreign national scheduled for surgery at a hospital in the province. She is heard telling the patient that her country must take responsibility for her health issues.
The EFF says in a statement that Ramathuba’s comment was inappropriate.
However, the ANC Youth League in Limpopo is defending Ramathuba saying she had a frank engagement with the patient.
The League says that the EFF has no right to dictate the removal of the MEC.
The EFF says sentiments expressed by Ramathuba at Bela Bela hospital to a Zimbabwean national were a violation of human rights. They called on Premier Stanley Mathabatha to fire Ramathuba as her sentiments were also a violation of the doctors’ code of ethics.
‘Not necessarily wrong’
Earlier, Deputy Health Minister Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo said Ramathuba’s statement is not necessarily wrong but the environment in which she made it may have been inappropriate.
Dhlomo says the statement has stimulated public debate, they can’t immediately jump to conclusions on how the issue should be handled.
“We will be discussing with her and get a report which we will forward to the Minister who will come back to the country in two weeks’ time and then we can take it from there. Probably, it was an inappropriate space with a patient. However, all what we are saying, for now, was the inappropriateness of the space in which it was made,” says the Deputy Health Minister.
Below is the full interview with Dr Dhlomo:
