Madoda Sambatha, the North West provincial MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, is a leader who lets his actions to speak louder than words. He won the hearts of scores of people across the country when he visited a public health facility to undergo a tooth extraction procedure.
For skeptics, it can be tempting to dismiss MEC Sambatha’s inspirational act of public endorsement of the people’s health facilities as a mere gimmick. However, Sambatha understands too well the challenges that South Africa’s health facilities are faced with on a daily basis.
After all, Sambatha, who is also the Chairperson of the SA Communist Party (SACP) in the province, is a former MEC for health in the North West who knows from first-hand experience the public opinion challenges that the government is constantly put under.
Therefore, “walking the talk” by a high-ranking public office bearer such as Sambatha can only be seen as a major act of encouragement for public confidence in the country’s healthcare system. South Africa is regarded by global organisations as the most unequal society in the world. Thus, for someone like MEC Sambatha who has the option to undergo dental procedure in the comfort of private health care to choose to endorse Klerksdorp hospital as a service provider of choice is an example worthy of being followed by all.
South Africa is in the process of a full implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI), which MEC Sambatha’s SACP and the ANC fully support, despite a major pushback in some sections of the country’s population.
When contacted for a comment today, MEC Sambatha elected not to say too much about his visit to the public health facility, suffice to say he fully supports the call and campaign for access to healthcare for all regardless of colour, gender or creed.
