Our Families Are Dying All In The Name Of “We Do Not Have Enough Resources”!

My name is Mpumi Phoswa, I am a surviving heart surgery patient who is concerned about the realities of heart surgery patients in South Africa. I am one of the few lucky people in South Africa who have access to medical aid and can get adequate treatment and advice on my heart condition. Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many of the patients that rely on public hospitals. Including my father, who I lost after he had a heart surgery at a public hospital. It's unfortunate that those who rely on public hospitals have to settle for poor medical treatment.

A poor health system is detrimental to those who cannot afford medical aid. Our families die in the hands of the same institutions we are meant to rely on. Without quality health services, universal health coverage will remain an empty promise. We need to see a much stronger focus on investing in and improving quality to create trust in health services and give everyone access to high-quality, people-centered health services.

Please sign this petition and help me call on government to:

1. Ensure that heart screening and heart surgery is freely available and accessible to all South Africans in public hospitals
2. Develop a public awareness campaign informing people of heart conditions like PB analysis and Heart Attacks, many people are not aware of this and only find out on their deathbeds
3. Improve the efficiency of the heart surgery process i.e. create a system to reduce the long waiting periods that may lead to patients dying, improving hospital equipment and hiring enough Cardiologists and Doctors to serve patients with heart conditions

So please, I'm pleading to our leaders once more that heart patients must be treated fairly and square. It is painful to try and fight for your life only for public hospitals to not be of assistance.