NUMSA welcomes Minister Motsoaledi's solid approach in revamping our public health system
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) is extremely excited by the dynamism and revolutionary zeal displayed by the Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi towards revamping our racialised, untransformed and unequal public health system we inherited from the apartheid regime.
Minister Motsoaledi is amongst the chosen few, over-zealous and committed Ministers under President Jacob Zuma led administration who brings a breath of fresh air and hope to the millions of workers and the poor. His hands-on approach and dedication in serving the country and people personifies a rare breed Cadre of the ANC-led Alliance that is willing to serve for longer and more!
He told health practitioners, students, health experts and academics in Johannesburg yesterday Tuesday 11 October 2011, that "health is a fundamental human right and if we don't work together this monster will swallow us whole". We fully agree with this assertion by the Minister that health is a fundamental human right issue and it shouldn't be quantified into a commodity that needs to be bought at the highest price in the market. This belief is in line with the historical positions of the ANC-led Alliance informed by the Freedom Charter of 1955, which called for a health-care system for all.
We are also pleased by the Minister Motsoaledi's bold vision and strategy to revamp existing hospitals, increasing the quota of medical students at universities each year and a new Medical School. This bold vision and strategy will be crucial in anchoring and solidifying the National Health Insurance (NHI) to be rolled-out next by the ANC-led Alliance government as one of its 2009 electoral commitments and priorities.
These pronouncements by the Minister Motsoaledi are a victory for the workers and the poor who have been chained prisoners of mediocrity and fell victims to our ailing, racialised, untransformed and unequal public health-care system we inherited from the apartheid regime 17 years ago.
We call on Minister Motsoaledi not to be de-focused or intimidated in his task by our ideological opponents and health-care profiteers opposed to governments' efforts of building a peoples' centred public health care system as envisaged in the Freedom Charter and various policy positions of the ANC-led Alliance.
Statement issued by Castro Ngobese, COSATU national spokesperson, October 12 2011
Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter
