#IMadeMyMark Epilepsy patients hope for better health care as they vote
CRAIGHALL PARK – The Reea epilepsy care centre has some residents who are unable to vote due to lack of information and those who can vote want better healthcare.
The upcoming general elections give South Africans the opportunity to choose a new National Assembly and provincial legislature in each province as well as determine the future president of the country.
As part of Rosebank Killarney Gazette’s #IMadeMyMark voting initiative, we chatted to three residents at the epilepsy care centre, Reea Foundation in Craighall Park.
The foundation is a non-profit organisation which cares for adults living with epilepsy and mild mental disorders. The residents spoke about what they hoped for when they voted. Resident Andrew Meeding said he had been voting since 1994 but was not happy with the progress of democracy because disabled people were marginalised and sidelined. “I have never seen anyone coming here to explain voting or anything,” he said.
“There are also people who live in shacks supporting their family members with the money from the disability grant which is very little and if they could increase it that would be great.”
Fellow resident Liz Olsen who has been voting since 2006 said she hoped for better healthcare where people could get medication for free or at least at affordable rates as epilepsy medication was very expensive.
Angela Risseeuw said she started voting as soon as she finished school (at 18) and it was a very strange experience for her. Risseeuw said she wished political parties would come to visit the foundation and offer support in terms of fundraising. She said her two boys were born at the foundation and were old enough to vote and would do so.
Share your #IMadeMyMark moments with us @RK_Gazette
Email your stories about voting experiences to naidines@caxton.co.za
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