State-run healthcare push gains legs

This is why nationalised healthcare is such a disaster, economically and morally.

From News24,

“The toddler…was admitted at Far East Rand Hospital and later transferred to Charlotte Maxeke Academic hospital to be treated for burns on her hands. Instead she ended up with her legs being amputated, ” said departmental spokesperson Mandla Sidu in a statement.”

This story will fade into oblivion, because when government causes atrocities such as this we’re just supposed to let it slide.  When privately owned companies do the same they’re hauled over the coals, sued, fined, and in some cases closed down.  No such recourse for government I’m afraid, and SA’s legitimised one-party state makes it even worse.

If SA keeps heading down the governmentalised healthcare route, you will unfortunately read more and more stories like this one. 

The ‘right’ to healthcare is a pseudo-right, while the right to keeping your legs is a real one.  Trust government to flip reality on its head.

UPDATE: Jasson Urbach at the Free Market Foundation has a useful short take on the costs and funding of the proposed NHI system and concludes, as we do, that more private competition is the way forward.

Plus more on the wonder that is the UK’s NHS here   (hat tip Mark Steyn).

Meanwhile the DA is following this up and the Gauteng Health MEC also wants an explanation,

from the Rahima Moosa hospital to explain the “insensitive treatment” of a family whose baby had died earlier this week.  Yasser Marere told the media that after his son died of asphyxia during birth he had to search through the bodies of 40 infants at the hospital mortuary for his own child.

State-run healthcare is sick.