Former Malawian President Adds Her Voice to Debate Sparked by Dr Phophi Ramathuba, Calls Out African Leaders

• Another prominent African leader has added her voice to the debate sparked by Limpopo MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba’s viral rant
• Ex-Malawian President Joyce Banda called on African leaders to fix the problems in their own countries and focus on serving their citizens
• Dr Kgosi Letlape of the SA medical association added that he doesn’t think Ramathuba is xenophobic, but he believes she brought the medical profession into disrepute

LIMPOPO - Former Malawian President Joyce Banda has joined in the debate that Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phopi Ramathuba unintentionally ignited earlier this week.

Banda said that African leaders need to address the issues in their own countries and focus on serving their citizens rather than occupying leadership roles.

SABC News reported that Banda said the main issues African countries face are poverty and youth unemployment, which each country needs to find solutions to.

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This comes after Ramathuba commented that the South African public health care system is overburdened by having to cater to foreign nationals.

The viral video has since sparked a debate around whom the South African health care system should cater to and whether Ramathuba conducted herself in a manner befitting a medical doctor.

The Association of Medical Councils of Africa has added its voice to the debate, saying that Dr Ramathuba’s conduct brought the health profession into disrepute.

Dr Kqosi Letlape, the president of the association, said that every doctor takes a Hippocratic oath to put the patient’s needs before anything else, IOL reported.

Letlape added that the hospital was not the right setting for the conversation, especially when the patient was still receiving medical care. Letlape does acknowledge, however, that the public health care system is under serve strain. This is why he does not think Ramathuba was being xenophobic.

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Ramathuba stands by her statements, and though her comments were controversial, she is receiving widespread support from people all over Africa.

Social media users add their voices to the debate about the South African public health care system

Some social media users are calling for Ramathuba to be axed, while others claim she said nothing wrong.

Here are some comments:

Limpopo Health MEC dragged over ‘close your legs’ comments to high school girls

In a related matter, Briefly News reported that member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Health in Limpopo Phophi Ramathuba, is facing heavy criticism for comments she made at the Gwenane Secondary School in Sekgakgapeng, Mokopane, amid the reopening of schools in the province on Wednesday.

While addressing learners, Ramathuba, who was monitoring the first day of the new academic year, advised the girls at the school to focus on their studies by "closing your legs and opening your books".

Source: Briefly News