Doctors protesting in Cape Town on Friday against what they called the declining state of public health care were angered when they were prevented from marching to Parliament, as originally planned.
The march, organised by the South African Medical Association (Sama), was held to protest against, among other things, draft legislation that will prevent them from dispensing medication.
The action, which started in Keizergracht, ended on the Mother City’s Grand Parade instead of at the gates of Parliament, where President Thabo Mbeki had delivered his State of the Nation address hours earlier.
About 2 000 doctors, patients and other healthcare professionals interrupted Sama officials, shouting that they wanted to go to Parliament.
”We want Parliament. It’s right there. Let’s go,” shouted an angry Dr Deon Engela, as Sama representatives attempted to address the crowd.
Engela said he was frustrated that the association constantly compromised with the Health Ministry.
”Sama always has to compromise; this was supposed to be a march against compromise. It just blows my mind. This is the last Sama march I’ll go to.”
He said he felt that the protest was a failure.
A group of medical interns also expressed anger at being prevented from going to Parliament, but said it showed the Department of Health was worried.
”I was angry that we could not go to Parliament, but I think the point was made nonetheless. It reflects badly on [the] government and shows that the Health Ministry is deeply worried about the situation,” said intern Alan Stanley.
His colleague, Alastair Paterson, said it was sad that doctors were forced to leave their rooms to protest.
”We should not have to do this. Arrangements were made so that the patients of all the doctors are being cared for. But its embarrassing that we have to go to these lengths,” he said.
Sama chairperson Kgosi Letlape explained to the protesters that they had been denied permission to march to Parliament because Mbeki had delivered his address.
”It was the president’s day today, and we could not interrupt that. But we will organise more pickets and protests at a provincial level,” he said.
Mbeki had delivered his address at 11am. The protesters walked past Parliament just after 3pm.
Letlape handed over Sama’s memorandum of concerns to the Deputy Director General of the Department of Health, Kami Chetty.
Among the issues highlighted in the memorandum was the declining state of public health care facilities; appropriate pay for public sector doctors; legislation restricting doctors from dispensing medicines; and the proposed Certificate of Need, which intrudes on doctors’ right to freedom of movement.
A junior doctor, Marietjie Slabbert, said she was frustrated by the way junior doctors were treated.
Their basic salary was R4 000, and although they were supposed to work only 16 hours of overtime a week, they often worked twice that.
”We are overworked. There’s no support and not enough nurses and facilities.”
She said accommodation and security was also an issue.
”A colleague of mine waited six months before he was given a stove for his room. Until then he had to make cooking fires.”
The protest had the support of most opposition political parties, as well as, among others, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the Treatment Action Campaign and doctors’ organisations.
Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille supported Sama by joining the march.
De Lille said the medical association should look into whether Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang should be disciplined for violating the Hippocratic Oath.
”If there is any person who should be disciplined, it’s her. The medical association must look at how the minister is allowed to violate every sentence of the Hippocratic Oath.
”Can’t disciplinary action be taken against her for violating an oath that every doctor must take?” she asked.
The Department of Health warned earlier that doctors taking part in the march would face dismissal.
Some of the marchers wore white medical coats, and a number of patients also joined the protest.
Placards held aloft proclaimed ”Holiday in Haiti when patients suffer at home”, ”Ministry of health, show us u care”, ”ANC more arrogant than previous Nats”, ”UK: here I come” and ”Rural people deserve good health care”. — Sapa