By Thabo Monyela
BELA-BELA- Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba went heavy on a Zimbabwean illegal migrant patient who was receiving medical treatment at Bela-Bela based hospital and ordered the hospital to charge the patient for medical bills.
The health MEC says her department is currently overwhelmed by illegal Zimbabwean and Mozambican nationals who flock into the province for medical attention and this affects ordinary citizens of Limpopo in receiving medical care.
In a video clip that is busy making trends on social media, Ramathuba is heard telling a shona-speaking patient that she is killing her health system that is operating on limited budget and Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa does not contribute anything to her budget.
In what she refers as truthful and painful the MEC said ” instead of using the budget for what is meant for, I am operating what Mnangagwa is supposed to do and when my people of Limpopo citizens want health services, they are not getting it because of you and that is angering them”.
Ramathuba further ordered the apologetic Zimbabwean patient to pay for the medical services she is receiving.
According to Letaba Hospital Clinical Manager Dr Mike Ramothwala, the previous statistics showed that 80% of women giving birth at Musina hospitals are illegal Zimbabweans and South African women sometimes did not find beds to give birth on.
While the EFF in Limpopo had issued a statement calling upon Ramathuba’s license as a professional doctor to be revoked as she had undermined the code of ethics for medical doctors.
” We call for her immediate removal as MEC, our country cannot be led at level by anyone who will not respect the dignity of African people” EFF Limpopo said.
