A child at any one of Johannesburg's biggest public hospitals can wait for as long as 10 months to undergo a simple scan, a procedure that can take as little as 10 minutes. It's just one example of what a healthcare professional calls the "invisible line" outside the country's stressed hospitals. To book an appointment for an MRI-scan of my crock knee, which probably spells an end to my football career, all it took was a phone call and a couple of days later I was on my back in one of the city's many private hospitals. The only difference between people is access to medical aid. I am just one of the 20% of South Africans with some sort of medical aid. The rest of the country relies on a strained public sector for its health needs. And for a country with the highest levels of obesity on the continent, rivalling countries such as the US, there's quite clearly a need for reform. Never mind our ever-expanding waists, there's still the crisis of HIV, high rates of violence and car accide...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.