THE Bill of Rights, a cornerstone of democracy in South Africa which enshrines the rights of all people in our country, alludes to everyone having inherent dignity and the right to have their dignity respected and protected.

And yet a basic human right is being denied one Goodwill Ramothata, a young adult who is in constant, excruciating pain because he is suffering from a rare genetic disorder known as Xeroderma Pigmentosum, that has confined him to his Alexandra, Gauteng, home due to severe sensitivity to sunlight.

This basic right is the opportunity for proper medical attention and treatment or possibly a cure for the disorder, which has seen the skin at the back of his head being so corroded that it reveals his skull.

He is in so much pain that sleep for him has become a rare pleasure.

Sowetan carried a distressing report yesterday in which the brave young man - who has had to quit school to cope with the unbearable pain and avoid being an almost macabre spectacle - has said with a heavy heart how the nearby Masakhane Clinic in Alexandra had referred him to the Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital - Africa's biggest public healthcare facility - and on to the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital where, after more than 10 operations, has been told there was no further assistance available.

This is more than a tragedy playing itself out. According to the Bill of Rights no one may be refused emergency medical treatment. But the local and national health authorities seem to be turning a blind eye and their backs on a fellow human being who is wracked with pain, a victim of a youth stolen by rare skin disorder that is not of his own making and a hapless, indigent family, whose only hope is the public health system.

It is gratifying that - even when they seemingly dragged their feet in establishing the best approach to helping Ramothata regain his dignity - the Gauteng Health and Social Development Department intends mounting an investigation into whether or not there were any compelling medical reasons why Ramothata could not be treated further. The department has also agreed to send a medical expert to ascertain what more can be done to help meet his human rights needs.

There are countless other cases similar to Ramothata's, including that of an elephantiasis sufferer whose plight was highlighted by a television programme before a private medical services provider did the right thing.

Ramothata's plight need not be tested any further.