How the world sees SA: Covid-19 exposes chronic cracks in state healthcare

Covid-19 has exposed decades of corruption and the mismanagement of our beautiful country. Fault lines in the state healthcare sector have been opened up, revealing problems that have been ignored at great cost. Poor people in particular are the collateral damage of a system which has been broken for too long, while the government continues to justify a strict and swift lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic. A Moody's downgrade of South Africa's sovereign credit rating to sub-investment or junk status in March put even more strain on the South African economy, which was already in recession. Now, we face a steep contraction and are in desperate need of foreign investment. This report by the BBC highlights the failings of state healthcare as the proposal for a National Health Insurance system is back on the table for discussion. – Nadya Swart

By Nadya Swart

A BBC investigation has put the spotlight on filthy conditions in South African hospitals. It exposed astonishing failures throughout the healthcare sector – from exhausted medical staff struggling with overwhelming numbers of Covid-19 infected patients to a health service near collapse. 

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