HOW MANY MUST DIE?

Comment

When Finance Minister Martin Dlamini presented what was meant to be a realistic budget that catered for priority needs of the people earlier this year, there was a loud chorus of disappointment and outrage at the cuts and tucks that were made in all the wrong places.

The ‘victims’ included the health, education and agriculture sectors, while the needs of the security services were beefed up.
Fuelling the outcry was the minister’s grand plan to finance the budget by taxing the poor even more. Among the numerous questions posed to the minister was ‘Why cut the health budget if it is not to ensure we suffer more drug shortages and put people’s lives at risk?

Less than six months later, here we are sitting on the verge of a major drug shortage, following the failure by government to meet its financial obligations to the major supplier.

By today’s standards, delayed payments have become a norm and many businesses have either shut down or are hanging by a thread, so too are people’s lives!

This is totally unacceptable! Not so long ago, the country experienced a similar drug shortage caused by delayed payment to suppliers.
The situation was extremely dire and bills for specialist services in South African hospitals were not paid. Some patients died, as government stopped referrals under the Phalala Fund scheme.

We were assured that measures had been put in place to ensure that government would never again, gamble with our lives; but here we are again.
This time, patients on antiretroviral treatment (ART) have been added to the list of those at risk, as their drugs could also soon run out of hospitals and pharmacies if government doesn’t get its act together to remedy the situation immediately.

The Finance minister should now be called to answer on who had the audacity to divert money that was meant to save people’s lives?
With the business sector on its knees, it is sad to learn that the education sector may be the next sector to fall, following reports that the European Union funding for our Free Primary Education (FPE) ends this year. If we can’t pay for drugs, where will we source funding for schools?

Clearly, luxury spending has to give but there seems to be a great reluctance in this regard. It then begs the question; ‘How many or who must die before we get our budget priorities right? Or does nobody who should, care at all?

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