Woven together, one garment
Martin Luther King said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, and also, “Whatever effects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
The inequality gap in Namibia continues to widen, worryingly, despite the thick stack of PRO promises of equal opportunity for all in the country. Injustice in Namibia is rife, and will continue to fester as long as poverty is widespread and social healthcare nets remain flimsy, unreliable and of poor quality.
If King is right, then the injustice faced by many Namibians, specifically when it comes to accessing quality healthcare and education, among the long list of pitfalls, should be of concern to each and every citizen.
It is no secret that for those who are able to afford private medical care, the experience of going to hospital is vastly different from the average experience of a state patient. Recently, in Windhoek, a young mother is scheduled for surgery, after the wound from her recent Caesarean became infected. She tried to return to work, because she had no money to pay for necessities, and the overall stress and panic of her situation has left her weak, and now ill. Colleagues provide food and nappies, and some money. Social security has not yet sent her a cheque since the birth of her child. The surgery was scheduled for Friday. By Sunday, she was still waiting. She has access to a hospital. But the quality is lacking. The safety nets of medical care have let her down. The safety nets of social care have let her down. What type of education can she look forward to for her daughter? The daily struggle will continue to bog her down. Can her daughter escape the cycle of poverty? Will the promises of equal healthcare and education become reality, or will they remain talking points for politicians and disgruntled tax payers? We have to realise that if we truly want to live in an equal society, one that gives everyone the chance to contribute to a nation to be proud of, then the basics such as equal health and education, are topics we must stand up for, march for, and demand from our government. Because King was right. “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”
The inequality gap in Namibia continues to widen, worryingly, despite the thick stack of PRO promises of equal opportunity for all in the country. Injustice in Namibia is rife, and will continue to fester as long as poverty is widespread and social healthcare nets remain flimsy, unreliable and of poor quality.
If King is right, then the injustice faced by many Namibians, specifically when it comes to accessing quality healthcare and education, among the long list of pitfalls, should be of concern to each and every citizen.
It is no secret that for those who are able to afford private medical care, the experience of going to hospital is vastly different from the average experience of a state patient. Recently, in Windhoek, a young mother is scheduled for surgery, after the wound from her recent Caesarean became infected. She tried to return to work, because she had no money to pay for necessities, and the overall stress and panic of her situation has left her weak, and now ill. Colleagues provide food and nappies, and some money. Social security has not yet sent her a cheque since the birth of her child. The surgery was scheduled for Friday. By Sunday, she was still waiting. She has access to a hospital. But the quality is lacking. The safety nets of medical care have let her down. The safety nets of social care have let her down. What type of education can she look forward to for her daughter? The daily struggle will continue to bog her down. Can her daughter escape the cycle of poverty? Will the promises of equal healthcare and education become reality, or will they remain talking points for politicians and disgruntled tax payers? We have to realise that if we truly want to live in an equal society, one that gives everyone the chance to contribute to a nation to be proud of, then the basics such as equal health and education, are topics we must stand up for, march for, and demand from our government. Because King was right. “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”
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