by Tayyeba Peer
Seated, her legs raised on a chair, folding samosas for my family. Struggling to shape her words for me, breaking her language, trying to fit into mine.
“Kidney problems, I go hospital every month.”
“X-ray cost R875.” Not that much—
“I can’t pay so much.”
Her emotions cloud my vision.
Clarity—
My privilege, floating unchecked.
Bio
Tayyeba Peer is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Cape Town who wrote this piece to highlight unequal access to healthcare and the deep economic disparities that persist in South Africa.