Chair, the Minister and his department must be commended for taking health care in South Africa in the right direction.
However, a lot of work still remains for many hospitals and clinics, as many do not pass the basic sanitary quality levels and are inadequately staffed. The inadequate stock of basic and critical medical supplies and medicines also remains worrying.
If a woman who is about to give birth contacts our party and pleads with us to move her to another hospital, as the one she is in is known for its high fatality rates, then we must understand that our health care system is still Third World in many respects. Even more can be said about a maternity ward where newborn babies have a better chance of dying than being given the care they deserve - also a sad reality in our country.
Over and above the material lack in many hospitals and clinics, it is also quite evident that there exists a lack in the spiritual dimension. For instance, when hospital workers go on strike without regard for human life, then something is seriously wrong in our country.
The FF Plus agrees that hospital staff must be paid a decent wage as their task, like that of the police force and teachers, is a thankless one. However, when human life comes into play, unions must be more responsible in their approach and government more amenable.
'n Ander voorbeeld van die gebrek aan etiek is die houding van baie van die hospitaalpersoneel wat nie met die nodige empatie met hulle pasinte omgaan nie. Terwyl daar baie is wie pasinte met respek behandel, is daar ook diegene wat afgestomp van die pyn van hul pasinte te werk gaan.
Indien ons daarop wil reken dat ons 'n gemeenskap is wat respek vir ons medemens het en wat menseregte hoog op prys stel, moet ons ingesteldheid ook reg wees. Die VF Plus beskou die behandeling van pasinte met die nodige empatie en sorg as deel van die Christelike etos wat die lewe op aarde meer draaglik maak. Minister, dit is ons plig om dit in Suid-Afrika se hospitale en klinieke uit te leef. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Another example of the lack of ethics is the attitude of a lot of hospital staff, who treat their patients without the necessary empathy. While many of them do treat patients with respect, there are also those who treat them as if totally unfeeling to the pain of their patients.
If we want to count on being a society with respect for our fellow man, highly appreciative of human rights, then our attitude should also be correct. The FF Plus regards treating patients with the necessary empathy and care as part of the Christian ethos that makes life on earth more bearable. Minister, it is our duty to live up to this in South Africa's hospitals and clinics.]
Related to the above is the manner in which we deal with Aids. The department states that prevention remains the cornerstone of HIV and Aids interventions, and that, indeed, makes sense.
However, prevention undertaken by the promotion of safe sex is not the only answer. What we need in South Africa is a sense of responsibility stemming from the Christian perspective of abstinence and responsible, stable relationships. Over time, this ethos will ensure that the vexing problems of single parents, broken families, unwanted children, the abuse of children and a proliferation of abortions, which is in essence murder of the unborn, become a relic of the past.
Ons wil dit ook aan die minister stel om versigtig te werk te gaan met die nasionale gesondheidsversekering. Selfs president Obama het aspekte van gesondheidsorg ongereguleerd gelaat juis omdat die VSA nie genoeg fondse het om Obamacare in sy volle omvang te dra nie. Suid-Afrika, 'n ontwikkelende staat, is nog minder in staat om so 'n enorme program van stapel te laat loop.
Die kernrede is ons klein belastingbasis wat al hoe meer onder druk geplaas word. Met verskeie skuilbelastings wat in werking gestel word, soos tolhekfooie en koolstofbelasting, word die klein middelklas belastingbetaler al hoe meer ontneem van die vermo om self entrepreneur te word en werk te skep, en ons moet daarop ag slaan in die toekoms. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[We also want to appeal to the Minister to treat the National Health Insurance with circumspection. Even President Obama has left aspects of health care unregulated for the very reason that America doesn't have enough funds to carry Obamacare to its full extent. South Africa, a developing nation, is even less able to launch such an enormous programme.
The central reason is our small tax basis, which is coming under increased pressure. With various types of concealed taxation coming into force, such as tollgate fees and carbon taxation, the small middle class taxpayer is becoming more and more deprived of the ability to become an entrepreneur himself and create employment, and we should keep that in mind in the future.]
I thank you, Chairperson.