​By Koketso Maraba 
 
Stephen Bantu Biko's legacy continues to nourish and inspire generations, ensuring that the fruits of his labour are enjoyed long after his passing.
In honouring his memory and reflecting on how his vision of humanity, dignity, and equality continues to shape the spaces we occupy, the Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) which has been named after the late anti-apartheid activist held the inaugural Steve Biko Memorial  on Wednesday, 25 September 2024 to preserve the legacy of a man whose ideas have had a lasting impact on our nation and beyond. 
Like education, Steve Biko believed that healthcare was a fundamental human right, not a privilege for the few. He believed that access to quality healthcare should not be determined by one's socio-economic status or geographical location but by one's inherent dignity as a human being. Like its namesake, the SBAH embodies Biko's ideals of equality and justice by ensuring that everyone, regardless of their background, have access to quality healthcare. 
The first Steve Biko Memorial Day saw the Health Ombudsman, Professor Taole Resetselemang Mokoena, a former classmate of Biko at medical school, deliver the inaugural lecture. Prof. Mokoena shared personal insights and reflections on Biko's 
contributions to the medical field and his enduring influence on medical practice and social justice.
"From H F Verwoerd Hospital which only served white people to the now Steve Biko Academic Hospital which provides equal healthcare to everyone regardless of their skin colour, Steve Biko would be proud as this is what he stood for," said Prof Mokoena.
In attendance at the Memorial Day was the Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko together with various stakeholders including the representatives from the Steve Biko Foundation. 
MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko said that the SBAH is not just a place of healing but stands as a living embodiment of the values that Steve Biko championed – human dignity, self-reliance, empowerment, and the liberation of the mind.
"Naming this hospital after him is more than just a symbolic gesture, it highlights the crucial role he played in awakening the spirit of our people. It demonstrates the importance of ensuring that spaces of healing, knowledge, and national significance honour individuals whose lives are intricately tied to the struggle for human dignity and freedom. 
SBAH, as a national key point, serves as a pillar of hope, resilience, and progress, much like Biko himself, whose life embodied these very principles," said MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko.
In addition, the MEC said that Biko's belief in human dignity is precisely why the National Health Insurance (NHI) is so critical for South Africa as it embodies his ideals of equality and justice by ensuring that all South Africans, regardless of their background, have access to quality. 
"It is about restoring dignity to the millions who have been marginalised and denied the care they deserve. The NHI is not just a policy, it is a commitment to equitable access, an opportunity to dismantle the leftovers of a system that still, decades after apartheid, divides us between the haves and the have-nots.
"The NHI provides us with the opportunity to take control of our health system, to create a system that reflects the values of human dignity, unity, and empowerment that Biko so passionately advocated," added MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko.