In South Africa, xenophobic incidents are a daily reality but the use of the country’s strained public health system by migrants is now a hot-button issue as impartial access to healthcare has become highly politicised.
In 2018, Doctors Without Borders , which had been working on HIV and TB care in South Africa since 2000, started providing basic health and psychosocial services to vulnerable communities around the Tshwane CBD and outlying areas where migrants live. What we have witnessed is a marked increase in instances where migrants or asylum seekers who do not have formal refugee status are excluded from tertiary-level care as a result of the imposition of fees.
Many countries, including South Africa, have adopted progressive national policies of not charging pregnant women and children, but the Gauteng health system’s U-turn on this must be confronted to protect impartial medical care that saves and protects all lives. After a visit to the tertiary hospital, Kaseke was told that, due to her status as an asylum seeker, she would need to pay R848 for the initial consultation and follow-up visit – and she would need to pay more for any medication and further consultations for the duration of her pregnancy.
The effective denial of access to child and maternal healthcare services for people like Kaseke in Gauteng has many severe, negative health consequences. Obstructing access to timely, quality healthcare services increases the risk of preventable maternal illness and death.
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