Your wallet determines your medical care

I recently found myself in a situation where life hung in the balance.

- KAYLYNNE BANTOM

Someone I cared about needed immediate medical attention. In a moment, driven by fear and desperation, we rushed to the nearest hospital, a private institution.

We had no medical aid. We knew the odds were against us. Still, when death feels close, logic takes a back seat.

Walking into the reception area, I explained that this was a medical emergency.

In that moment, I became acutely aware of an invisible line that divides people in medical crises: those whose medical aid opens doors, and those whose suffering must first be assessed against a balance sheet.