The Gauteng Department of Health has condemned the unruly behaviour exhibited by some community members who have allegedly been obstructing patients from accessing Kalafong Tertiary Provincial Hospital in Atteridgeville, Tshwane, demanding that they produce their identity documentation at the gate.
In a video circulating on social media, a heavily pregnant Zimbabwean woman was also turned away by the individuals as she could not provide her identity documents.
GAUTENG HEALTH WEIGHS IN ON KALAFONG HOSPITAL VIDEOS
In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), a few women donning South African flags question the Zimbabwean woman about how much she paid for the services she received.
The women also complain that illegal immigrants are a burden to taxpayers and further instruct her to make arrangements so she can give birth back home.
Gauteng Department of Health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said no community member or structure has a right to prevent others from accessing healthcare services and such illegal acts warrant unequivocal condemnation.
Modiba said police have been called on-site to assist in managing the situation and urged law enforcement agencies to ensure that the laws of the land are implemented and that those responsible for preventing patients from accessing healthcare services are held accountable.
“Access to healthcare services is a constitutional right in this country and therefore, no individual should be permitted to infringe upon another’s right to access healthcare,” he said.
NOT THE FIRST TIME NATIVES AND IMMIGRANTS CLASH
In August 2022 violence flared up outside the Kalafong Tertiary Provincial Hospital between anti-illegal immigrants group Operation Dudula members and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) from Gauteng.
Operation Dudula members had been picketing outside the hospital and had been preventing immigrants from accessing health services, insisting they should be properly documented and should pay for the services.
On the same day, the then Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla visited the hospital to assess the impact of the sporadic protests on access to health services.
GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING BILLING NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES FOR HEALTHCARE SERVICES
During the briefing at Kalafong Hospital, Phaahla revealed that they will consult with embassies to find out if they can foot the bill for immigrants from neighbouring countries who access health services from public hospitals in South Africa.
“We will consult with embassies to see if there is a need for refunding or there could be some compensation,” he said.
Phaahla added that the government is addressing the various challenges that are burdening the health system in the country.
“The whole government is looking at this issue, we are looking at its impact, its magnitude and options in terms of how the aspect of pressure on our services can be addressed, possibly working with the leadership of those countries where there are more numbers of people coming here,” he said.
Phaahla added that he believes embassies can help in cases where staff in hospitals have to deal with patients who need urgent medical attention but do not understand English or any other South African language.
“Some of these issues can be addressed, it is not just the issue of funding and resources, there are also other logistics. These are matters we are aware of and we are finding an organised way to deal with them.”
DO YOU THINK THE ACTIONS OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE JUSTIFIED, GIVEN THE CRIES AND COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE EFFECT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE ON SOUTH AFRICA’S HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, WHICH HAS LIMITED RESOURCES?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
