This week’s Special Assignment highlights the on-going health crisis in the Limpopo
Province in South Africa. What is the Value of Human Life? is produced by Amos Phago
and airs on Thursday 18 April at 21h30 on SABC3.
South Africa’s health crisis and patients’ consequent despair is a problem that affects
some parts of the country worse than others. The Limpopo Province, especially, has
been battling because hospitals have been running without essential medication, staff
and food shortages, while dysfunctional mortuary services have also been reported.
The lack of resources has also resulted in inefficient emergency services and
malfunctioning equipment, which have compromised the quality of public health in the
province. As a result, loss of life has been alleged and experts point to a need to deal
with systematic problems and management failures.
The programme asks what rights ordinary people have in the face of malfunctioning
health care systems and focuses on the cases of Thembi Mahlangu and Michael Legodi,
who have suffered greatly due to substandard health services.
