Healthcare without borders — the importance of eradicating medical Afrophobia

About two million immigrants live in South Africa, many of whom have difficulty accessing public services like healthcare. Medical Afrophobia in the context of South Africa refers to the fear or hatred of people from other African countries who seek medical treatment or services in South Africa.

This phenomenon is often fuelled by prejudice and misinformation and has led to discrimination, violence, and other forms of mistreatment against foreign nationals seeking medical care.

Many South Africans have expressed concerns about the burden that foreign nationals may place on the country's healthcare system, and there have been instances of violence and harassment against African foreign nationals seeking medical care.

Read more in Daily Maverick: “Operation Dudula calls off protests at Kalafong hospital after ‘fruitful’ meeting with health minister”

Sadly, African foreign nations have been constantly made scapegoats for the public health systems in crisis due to government failure. Such a blame game is done to divert attention from severe challenges facing the governance of public health.

In addition, our society needs to understand that healthcare is a basic human right, and every individual deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their cultural or national background. Discrimination in healthcare is a breeding ground for medical Afrophobia and undermines the principles of healthcare.

It is misplaced to ask whether or not migrants put undue strain on the healthcare system. The reality is that South Africa’s health system has been plagued by problems and it functions poorly as a result of poor governance. There are general shortages of nurses and doctors, high workloads, and low morale among staff.

Additionally, there has been massive government corruption, mismanagement, State Capture and apathy over many years and these also play a role. People move into and across South Africa, which is a reality that needs to be planned for.

Groups like Operation Dudula have pushed an anti-immigrant sentiment which is closely linked to the country’s dire economic situation, partly caused by increased poverty, scarcity of resources and high unemployment rates.

In September 2022, hostility against foreign nationals was exhibited by members of Operation Dudula outside Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital in Pretoria. One of the most recent incidents was in January 2023 when members of Operation Dudula chased away African migrants from the Jeppe Clinic in central Johannesburg. 

Consequently, the Collective Voices, a collective of 30 organisations, released a statement condemning Operation Dudula’s attack on patients at Jeppe Clinic in Johannesburg that not only jeopardised individual health, but also public health.

There is rising fear amid the intensification of public remarks advocating health Afrophobia that has been met with little denunciation or government action.