Nobody seems to care? The attitude seems to be that this is a free market economy where price regulation is an anathema.
With the announcement that Multichoice, the providers of DSTV channels, is increasing their subscription fees, there has been some noted public outcry. Most feel that the digital television service provider is over-charging them. The tragic thing, they say, is that the company is exploiting them because they have no choice. Multichoice is the only supplier of the product in the country. Even if a customer is unhappy with their price tariff or services, they are stuck with Multichoice. The only choice that the consumers have is to pay up or quit the service. That is how monopolies function. It is their way or nothing.
We had intended to re-open the debate on monopolies but something much more important took precedence. We are not talking about an elite product such as DSTV. We are talking about a matter of life and death-the nation’s health.
The whole of this week the nation was abuzz with the coming of Prophet TB Joshua of Nigeria. Those who attended Joshua’s two-day sermons would at least agree on one thing. Our nation is ill and it needs healing.
There were far too many people who came to be healed. Thousands came with illnesses ranging from blindness, HIV/AIDS, paraplegia and many other chronic illnesses. Some of those who came cut a pitiable and depressing sight.
The disheartening thing about all these is that some of these illnesses can be treated or could have been treated through our health system. But some people had to opt out of the system to look for an alternative cure.
We would have loved Health Minister Professor Sheila Tlou and cabinet ministers to attend Joshua’s sermons. If they do not have faith in Joshua’s miracles, they would have at least appreciated the fact that the nation is desperately sick. Perhaps if they had come to witness the level of desperation, they would have been compelled to reconsider their priorities.
Its okay to have the likes of Joshua to come here to help those they can and reawaken peoples’ faith in God. But the greatest lesson to be learnt is that we ought to come up with an effective and caring health system. Something drastic needs to be done in our health system.
