Africa-Press – South-Africa. Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi has revealed the outcome of his meeting with the anti-migrant group Operation Dudula.
The meeting on Tuesday aimed to address the issue of foreign nationals’ access to health services.
Operation Dudula has been blocking undocumented foreigners from receiving medical care in public clinics and hospitals, claiming they are adding pressure to the already overburdened health=care system.
In an interview with the SABC, Motsoaledi said he explained how the process of immigration works, emphasising that no-one should be denied health care, regardless of their documentation status.
“I told them they might be solving what looks like a legitimate problem but using the wrong means,” he said. “In health, we treat everybody who enters who is sick, and they can’t expect us to chase people away, regardless of their nationality. It is just not allowed in health care.”
He said the group suggested that clinic and hospital clerks should be the ones turning away illegal foreigners from receiving medical care if they can’t prove their identity as they did not sign an oath like doctors and nurses.
“If we instruct the clerks not to give anybody a file and they go out and die, we are going to be sued. Imagine a pregnant woman who enters a hospital, is refused care, and goes out to deliver a baby in the street.”
Motsoaledi said patients can’t be denied medical care even if they can’t provide proof of identity. He highlighted the issue of many African countries that have not been able to register all their citizens.
“On the issue of civil registration and vital statistics, it is a problem across the entire African continent. Many African countries have not been able to register all their citizens. In fact, according to the statistics we have, the country that is farthest ahead in registering its citizens is Egypt.
“In South Africa, we have 89% documentation, which means 11% of South Africans are not documented. If you look at our population, 11% would be about 6-million people. They don’t have any form of documentation but they are not illegal because they are in their country; they are South Africans.”
He warned that many South Africans without IDs would suffer if all patients were required to produce proof of identification when visiting health facilities.
“If you continue to do it the way you are doing it, you are going to turn away many South Africans who are legitimate but do not have documents. Having worked in home affairs, I have met such people. I have met people who are 64 or 65 who are South Africans but never had documents, so [I am saying] be very careful.”
Motsoaledi said there was no proper conclusion to the meeting.
“I advised them that problems are solved through the law. We can’t have the law of the jungle.”
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