“Some patients have to wait on the hospital benches for an available bed…hospital medical machines have not been serviced for years.” This is just one experience from a doctor at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg in a report by Health-E News in May this year.

For South Africans, the thought of ending up in a public hospital is a real fear, having to deal with a healthcare system that is already overburdened.

1. Long Wait Times At Public Hospitals

Long queues and overwhelmed staff. This doesn’t mean that healthcare workers don’t care, simply that they’re stretched too thin and can’t accommodate the influx of patients who need help. This means you’ll wait longer than you should if you need urgent treatment before the thought of future costs of surgery or aftercare.

2. South Africa’s Limited Healthcare Workers

There is also a dire issue of vacant posts in public hospitals. For example, at Groote Schuur Hospital, nearly 300 clinical and non-clinical posts remained unfulfilled back in February 2024. Emergency services were hit the hardest with 10 out of 20 medical officers’ posts vacant.

3. Broken Infrastructure In Hospitals

Imagine being in the hospital where there is no Panado or no X-ray machine and you’re sent to do scans elsewhere!

The situation has become so alarming that some South Africans are seeking medical care on board a Chinese hospital ship that is docked in Cape Town harbour (August 2024). All this to avoid the pitfalls of the public healthcare system. It may be highlighted as a China-South Africa political collaboration for humanitarian assistance but it highlights the lack of trust in local hospitals.

4. Lack of Specialised Services

Public hospitals lack specialised departments due to a shortage of qualified specialists. This means patients often don’t get the advanced surgeries or treatments they need and have to be referred to other facilities, leading to delays, more health risks and high costs.

5. Corruption and Mismanagement in Public Hospitals

The public healthcare system is often plagued by bureaucratic red tape and corruption, causing funds that are allocated to disappear and hospitals to struggle with outdated equipment. This means a system that fails to deliver timely, quality care.

How accidentANGELS Helps You

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In case of a road accident, you’ll get immediate emergency transport to a private hospital, with R10 000 for ER costs, and in-patient funds of R200 000 – up to R1 million on our R259 per month plan.

Haven’t signed up yet? Check out our affordable road accident plans here.