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Cape Town people ‘ passion for free medical care being provided on a Chinese fleet, which is currently docked in the South African state’s harbor has not diminished despite the terrible winter weather, winter on Table Mountain, and gale force winds.

Public services are underfunded in one of Africa’s largest and most developed economies as a result of a financial crisis, and many claim that rising prices are making it impossible for them to get private healthcare.

A controversial new health scheme that aims to provide universal healthcare for all comes months after the government signed into law, but which is facing legal challenges.

Since China’s so-called Peace Ark arrived last week, more than 2, 000 South Africans have been treated on board- ranging from maternity check-ups and cataract surgeries to cupping therapy.

China enjoys a strong political partnership with South Africa, and this is Beijing’s latest show of soft power.

Lucy Mnyani expressed happiness to see images of her unborn child for the first time in the local media:” They never sent me for a CT scan. I had been going the day hospitals in Gugulethu and Langa [townships].

Joseph Williams, a second patient in the queue, said,” Depending on your condition, you sit for hours and hours before they help you.”

I’m grateful that I arrived because the service was so quick. I actually received the outcomes I hoped for.

According to officials, the ship can accommodate 700 patients daily and serves as a component of a joint exercise between the South African and Chinese armies. The ship has 100 people on board with 300 beds, 20 intensive care beds, operating theatres, clinical departments and even a rescue helicopter.

Before being made available to the general public on Monday, The Peace Ark’s first two days saw pre-selected people receiving treatment.

” We arranged with the night shelters to provide a service for people who live on the streets of Cape Town because they do n’t have access to any healthcare,” Saadiq Kariem, head of Western Cape’s Health Department, told the BBC.

He added that Western Cape health staff were given wellness visits and that elderly people who reside in care homes had also been referred for medical care.

” From registering to finishing my care took me an hour,” said Dr. Kariem, who also went for a medical check-up and jumped in the queue as a regular citizen.

Because there are more patients in need of services, it would take much longer at our public healthcare facilities.

A total of 57 surgeries have been carried out so far, a tiny dent in the province’s waiting list of 80, 000 patients.

And Western Cape Province, which arguably has one of the country’s best health systems, is where this is.

” These have been mostly orthopaedic, cataract and a few tubal ligation surgeries for women who no longer wish to fall pregnant,” Dr Kariem said.

According to Dr. Shuaib Manjra, chairperson of the Health Justice Initiative, the popularity of the Peace Ark demonstrates how poorly the provincial and national public health systems are serving the population as they should.

” Frequently, you find patients waiting to be seen for the entire day at a clinic. He told the BBC that hospitals have significant backlogs, budgets are being cut, and there are frequently times when people miss out on up to two days of work after waiting to be seen for a straightforward procedure.

The National Health Insurance ( NHI ) scheme, which will be implemented under the leadership of the African National Congress ( ANC), will significantly improve because all services provided at both public and private facilities will be provided for free at the point of care and will be funded by a central fund.

Despite the party losing its parliamentary majority in May and joining forces with Democratic Alliance ( DA ) parties that are against some of the scheme, health minister Aaron Motsoaledi has vowed that it will still be implemented.

It will have a significant impact on the health sector, but critics worry that it will lead to an exodus of health professionals looking for work abroad.

Private health companies are fiercely opposed to the plan because it forbids people from purchasing private health insurance for treatment.

About 14 % of the population currently receives private medical care, with the remaining 86 % relying on overburdened state hospitals and clinics.

Business Unity South Africa and the South African Medical Association refused to sign the “health compact,” an annual agreement with the president that specifies how various sectors will address health issues in the upcoming year.

The two organizations, which represent private businesses and 12, 000 doctors, are upset about the NHI in its current form, feeling forced upon them.

Dr Manjra said the NHI was a “noble idea” but he understood the reservations.

” Our history of corruption and incompetence may ultimately destroy the entire health sector.” According to estimates, corruption accounts for up to a third of the health budget in some cases.

He claimed that the priority should be addressing these issues within the public health sector.

Siphiwe Dlamini, a spokesman for the South African army, told the BBC that the response to the Peace Ark had been overwhelming and that people had been positive about” the attention and care received.”

On Thursday, the floating hospital departs Cape Town for Angola before moving on to several other nations. It has already visited the Seychelles, Tanzania, Madagascar and Mozambique- on this its 10th excursion since being commissioned in 2008.

The initiative is seen as a further step in China’s effort to expand its influence on the African continent.

Beijing has also been getting more involved in the construction industry, including building large sports stadiums in several parts of the continent, while its trade with Africa has increased steadily over the past 20 years.