News that three highly qualified medical doctors nominated for posts in two under-staffed public hospitals have been rejected by the Western Cape provincial health department — because they are white — has been slammed by Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille.
In her regular Friday internet column SA Today, Zille said public hospitals served the poor, ”most of whom are black”.
These patients wanted the best possible service and were not interested in the skin colour of the person delivering that service. She noted that no black professionals applied for these positions and the posts were still vacant.
Zille, who took over from Tony Leon as leader of her party earlier in May, said she was carrying out a fundamental review of DA policies to ensure that they were relevant.
She cited the matter of the doctors as a clear example of the different approaches of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and her party.
”Our policy review will spell out these differences in every area of South African life.
”It is nothing short of tragic that one of the skilled medical practitioners, rejected by his own country’s public health sector where he wanted to work, has now emigrated to Australia where his skills will be better recognised and used.
”It should be clear, even to ANC Western Cape health [provincial minister], Pierre Uys, that his short-sighted race-based policies have not advanced transformation. Instead, he has actually set back the real goal of transformation, which must be to provide a quality health service to more and more South Africans,” said Zille. — I-Net Bridge