Targeting the Self-Abusers

One page in last Wednesday’s issue of Mmegi provided two remarkably contrasting views. The first suggested that the Government could save millions of pula were it to abolish the death penalty, which it almost certainly will not do.

The other denounced the new cost saving health policy, which was recently approved by the Cabinet, which it most certainly intends to implement.

The Government’s sudden concern about cost-cutting comes as a major surprise because in the last year or so, huge sums of money have been wafting around all over the place, buckets full of the stuff. And rather obviously were the Government genuinely concerned about cost recovery it immediately desist from buying fighter jets and tanks from which the country’s two-and-a-half million people gain neither in terms of their welfare or security. But the introduction of this new policy is strangely inconsistent. Much boasted about, not unreasonably, has been the Government’s compassionate and open-hearted push to provide housing and blankets for the poorer of the poor. Now that open heart has been closed with a snap and those deemed to be self-abusers will be obliged to pay the full costs of their medical treatment. Already the new policy, here, has already been roundly denounced, and abroad by the WHO.  The term ‘self-abusers’ covers a wide category of people from the smokers and drug users to drivers when drunk and so on.  Personally, I can see little difference between the drunk driver, and the dangerous driver when both end up killing someone. Why is the one now more guilty than the other? I also much doubt that this policy can be fully implemented because so much of it will depend on the widespread availability of trained personnel willing to make, timeously, the necessary judgements.

Editor's Comment
Congratulations Anicia Gaothuse!

The contest had 10 beautiful young girls as finalists and unfortunately only one could wear the crown.The judges picked Anicia Gaothuse. To all those who feel their contestant should have won ahead of Anicia for whatever reason, hardly; the judges found Anicia to be the best among the best, so desist from disrespecting our newly crowned queen on social media or anywhere else, for that matter! Each of the 10 beautiful young women had supporters...

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