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Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.
Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, says the government is building and upgrading a number of clinics and hospitals which include mental health facilities around the country to meet the growing demand for healthcare.
Motsoaledi presented his department’s Budget Vote in the National Assembly.
Among others, three new academic hospitals will be built in provinces that have never had them before: Mpumalanga, North West and the Northern Cape.
Motsoaledi says these infrastructural projects are necessary to prevent a situation where demand would exceed supply.
“The extreme overcrowding in our public health facilities is caused by rapid population growth and rapid urbanisation. Please remember that the public health system is utilised by 86% of South Africa’s population. Throw into the mix our neighbouring countries. If we do nothing, the demeaning scenes we see on national TV, like pregnant women sleeping on floors and in chairs will, unfortunately, be the order of the day,” says Motsoaledi.
