Our national Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, described publicly the challenges facing our healthcare system and discussed the national and provincial measures that are being implemented to allow all South Africans to obtain quality healthcare. One would then certainly argue that the issue of quality healthcare has been debated to its ultimate exhaustion, but at what point do we begin to be silent about pertinent issues, especially those affecting the livelihood of a whole nation? This paper addresses many of (...) the issues highlighted above; it attempts to define what quality healthcare is, in the South African context, and its relationship to the branch of bioethics. It cites current views on ethics and rights in healthcare and the role of individuals and healthcare professionals in improving the provision of healthcare in our country. (shrink)