Why are there so many South Africans in a floating hospital in China?
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| People receiving treatment in China's floating hospital in South Africa. Photo: AFP |
Local residents flocked to the port of Cape Town, South Africa, braving the bone-chilling winter, snow and gusty winds.
A Chinese ship is currently anchored at this port. The ship is actually a floating hospital. This hospital provides free medical services to the residents of Cape Town.
South Africa is one of the largest and most developed economies in the African continent. But the ongoing economic crisis has strained the country's various public service funds.
Due to inflation, the cost of living of the people of the country has gone up a lot. As a result, many people in the country are unable to afford private healthcare.
China's floating hospital is named 'Peach Ark'. The ship arrived at Cape Town port last week. More than 2,000 South African citizens have already received medical care from here.
Various health and medical services are being provided in the floating hospital. These include examination of pregnant and postpartum women, cataract surgery, cupping therapy.
China has a strong political partnership with South Africa. Beijing is using various strategies to increase its sphere of influence around the world. The latest example of these techniques is the floating hospital.
Lucy Maniani is one of those receiving treatment at China's Floating Hospital in Cape Town. He told the local media that he saw the image of the child in the womb for the first time in this hospital. So he is very happy.
Joseph Williams was another of those who received treatment at the hospital. "When you go to a local clinic, you have to sit for hours to get services," he told South Africa's national television SABC. The availability of services will depend on your condition. But here the service is very fast. i am grateful I actually got the service I came for.'
Officials said the Chinese floating hospital can serve 700 patients a day. The service is being provided as part of a joint exercise between the armies of South Africa and China.
The hospital has 300 beds. There are 20 ICU beds. There are multiple surgical rooms and clinical departments. The hospital even has a rescue helicopter. The ship has a total of 100 employees.
For the first two days on the ship, those who were treated were pre-selected. The hospital was opened for public treatment from last Monday.
Sadiq Karim, head of the Western Cape health department, told the BBC that they have made arrangements to provide medical services at night. To serve the destitute people on the streets of Cape Town. Because, they are usually deprived of health care.
Sadiq Karim said that elderly people in different care centers are also being given medical care here. He himself, like the rest of the common people, has taken service in this hospital.
Narrating his experience, Sadiq Karim said that it took him about an hour from registration of name to receiving medical care. It takes much longer than that to get treatment in government hospitals in his country. Because there is a huge shortage of manpower in hospitals.
But the Western Cape is one of the provinces in South Africa that claim to have good health care.
China's floating hospital in South Africa has so far performed 57 surgeries. About 80,000 people of the entire province are waiting to receive various types of medical services here.
Medical officer Sadiq Karim said, most of the patients are orthopedic. Apart from this, there are quite a few cataract patients. A number of women are seeking permanent sterilization surgery. Because they don't want to have children anymore.
Peach Ark treatment has become popular with local people. In this context, the head of the Health Justice Initiative. Shuaib Manjra said, the public health system in this province, even in the whole country, is not what it should be. Patients are not being served as they should be. The popularity of this hospital speaks for itself.
Shuaib Manjra told the BBC, "It is often seen that people are sitting in the clinic for whole day to get treatment. Hospitals are overcrowded. Budgets and manpower have been slashed. As a result, people have to leave work and spend a lot of time in hospitals to get general medical care.
South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), says the implementation of its national health insurance scheme will greatly improve the country's public and private health care. At some point healthcare will be free. Expenditure will be met from Central Fund.
The ANC lost its majority in parliament in the elections held last May. As a result, the ANC has to take the coalition government partners into consideration.
The country's health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, is optimistic about the implementation of the national health insurance, even though the partner Democratic Alliance (DA) has objected to some aspects of the national health insurance.
If that happens, South Africa's health sector will undergo major changes. But critics fear it could put pressure on medical professionals. Then they can turn to employment outside the country.
Private companies in the country's health sector have already vehemently opposed the insurance. Because, this system will not allow people to take private insurance for treatment.
Currently, 14 percent of South Africans receive private healthcare. The remaining 86 percent people depend on the services of government clinics and hospitals.
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