Editorial

Abstract

The new year, 2025, has arrived and is well under way. The headwinds thus far this year have turned into a Category 5 hurricane with many issues converging upon the country and healthcare. The new United States of America administration’s decision to cut funding for PEPFAR and other USAID-administered programmes cuts deep. Our country’s ability to sustain our growing HIV/AIDS programme is now under much added strain. Compounding this are the continued pursuance of an NHI policy by government in the absence of any semblance of rational thought or reality checks. These reality checks, amongst several, include the inability to be able to offer posts to all interns and community service medical officers in the Republic, not to mention that medical officer and registrar posts are in very short supply. We have unemployed doctors in a country desperately in need of human resources in healthcare. To this end, SAGES has aligned itself with the Universal Health Access Coalition (UHAC). In this edition of the Journal, the recent UHAC position is included as well as media statements. We encourage members to keep track of activities – it provides a lucid platform to rationally critique the insanity masquerading as policy and regulations being issued by the Health Department.