NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT SELEBI MEDICAL TREATMENT

Reports today about the state of health of former police chief Jackie Selebi raise new questions about whether he received preferential medical treatment at the expense of other state patients needing dialysis for kidney disease.

Dialysis at state hospitals is usually reserved for patients under 50 years old who are candidates for a kidney transplant.

It is now revealed that he is not eligible for a kidney transplant, so on what basis did he jump the queue of about 80 patients needing dialysis at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital?

Many people die because there are long queues and waiting periods for dialysis at all state hospitals.

Was there political pressure to get Selebi preferential treatment?

Former Gauteng Health MEC Ntombi Mekgwe ducked my questions on this matter but did indicate in a written reply that "All patients within the allowed age group are treated equally, only based on severity of kidney failure in patients with good prognosis."

New Health MEC Hope Papo should explain how a patient of Selebi's age with a poor prognosis received dialysis at the likely expense of a younger patient with a better prognosis.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Health Spokesman, July 23 2012

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