Gayton McKenzie heads the Patriotic Alliance and is South Africa's Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture. During a heated parliament talk, he recently asked to block illegal foreigners from medical care at South African hospitals. His request follows money cuts from the United States Agency for International Development under Trump, which left South African healthcare with less cash.
The funding drop took away 17% of the money that helped the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This plan has fought HIV/AIDS in South Africa for many years. McKenzie believes South Africa must focus on its citizens first because the money is gone. He wants illegal foreigners to find medical help in their home countries that might be friendlier with the US.
This plan would harm many Zimbabweans who live in South Africa. They travel there because Zimbabwean hospitals hardly work anymore. The Zimbabwe healthcare system crashed due to money problems and a lack of basic supplies. Until recently, South African hospitals treated all sick people regardless of where they came from.
If McKenzie gets his way, Zimbabweans might face unfair treatment when seeking medical help. Most Zimbabweans lack proper papers in South Africa and already fear police catching them. The added worry about being refused when sick makes their lives much harder. They already deal with much hatred and rejection from locals.
Foreigners like Zimbabweans already find it tough to get decent healthcare in South Africa. They visit public clinics that never have enough money or space, which means foreigners often wait long hours for lower-quality care. South Africa offers better healthcare than Zimbabwe, but public hospitals struggle with many issues.
Zimbabweans often wait all day just to see a doctor, with little help available. Medical staff sometimes mistreat them as illegals who deserve nothing, especially when supplies run short. If McKenzie succeeds with his ideas, things will worsen dramatically. Already struggling Zimbabweans might lose access to medicine that keeps them alive.
The impact reaches beyond just Zimbabweans. Thanks to its better hospitals, South Africa serves as the medical hub for the entire southern part of Africa. If South Africa starts turning away sick foreigners, nearby countries without decent hospitals will face huge problems. This issue extends past just keeping foreigners away from doctors.
The loss of American funding, particularly for the AIDS relief program, could destroy vital health services across South Africa. Both citizens and foreigners rely on these services every day. More preventable deaths might occur, and diseases like HIV could spread faster throughout southern African countries because they share borders and workers.
McKenzie probably wants to save resources for South Africans after losing funding, but his plan conflicts with national interests and basic human decency. Everything remains unclear for foreigners seeking healthcare in South Africa, and President Cyril Ramaphosa has yet to address this growing crisis.
Many people demand a kinder approach that helps everyone who needs it. McKenzie asked Ramaphosa to repair American relations, stating both countries benefit from working together. This crisis presents an opportunity for Zimbabweans to demand fair healthcare access regardless of legal status. Zimbabweans face harsh treatment daily in South Africa.
For these Zimbabweans, medical access means survival, not luxury. The current debate about who deserves treatment in South African facilities will change healthcare across many countries for years ahead. It affects thousands who depend on South African doctors when they have no other options.
The funding drop took away 17% of the money that helped the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This plan has fought HIV/AIDS in South Africa for many years. McKenzie believes South Africa must focus on its citizens first because the money is gone. He wants illegal foreigners to find medical help in their home countries that might be friendlier with the US.
This plan would harm many Zimbabweans who live in South Africa. They travel there because Zimbabwean hospitals hardly work anymore. The Zimbabwe healthcare system crashed due to money problems and a lack of basic supplies. Until recently, South African hospitals treated all sick people regardless of where they came from.
If McKenzie gets his way, Zimbabweans might face unfair treatment when seeking medical help. Most Zimbabweans lack proper papers in South Africa and already fear police catching them. The added worry about being refused when sick makes their lives much harder. They already deal with much hatred and rejection from locals.
Foreigners like Zimbabweans already find it tough to get decent healthcare in South Africa. They visit public clinics that never have enough money or space, which means foreigners often wait long hours for lower-quality care. South Africa offers better healthcare than Zimbabwe, but public hospitals struggle with many issues.
Zimbabweans often wait all day just to see a doctor, with little help available. Medical staff sometimes mistreat them as illegals who deserve nothing, especially when supplies run short. If McKenzie succeeds with his ideas, things will worsen dramatically. Already struggling Zimbabweans might lose access to medicine that keeps them alive.
The impact reaches beyond just Zimbabweans. Thanks to its better hospitals, South Africa serves as the medical hub for the entire southern part of Africa. If South Africa starts turning away sick foreigners, nearby countries without decent hospitals will face huge problems. This issue extends past just keeping foreigners away from doctors.
The loss of American funding, particularly for the AIDS relief program, could destroy vital health services across South Africa. Both citizens and foreigners rely on these services every day. More preventable deaths might occur, and diseases like HIV could spread faster throughout southern African countries because they share borders and workers.
McKenzie probably wants to save resources for South Africans after losing funding, but his plan conflicts with national interests and basic human decency. Everything remains unclear for foreigners seeking healthcare in South Africa, and President Cyril Ramaphosa has yet to address this growing crisis.
Many people demand a kinder approach that helps everyone who needs it. McKenzie asked Ramaphosa to repair American relations, stating both countries benefit from working together. This crisis presents an opportunity for Zimbabweans to demand fair healthcare access regardless of legal status. Zimbabweans face harsh treatment daily in South Africa.
For these Zimbabweans, medical access means survival, not luxury. The current debate about who deserves treatment in South African facilities will change healthcare across many countries for years ahead. It affects thousands who depend on South African doctors when they have no other options.
