Doctors seek extra security during Tuesday’s anti immigrant protest in South Africa

South Africa’s biggest doctor organisation has called on health authorities and law enforcement agencies to ensure staff and patients attending public healthcare facilities are protected during Tuesday’s anticipated marches against undocumented foreigners.

South Africa has experienced weeks of protests led by anti-immigration activists who have issued a June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave the country. Fear of xenophobic attacks has prompted thousands of people ― mostly from other African countries ― to flee their homes. The governments of Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and Zimbabwe have repatriated some of their citizens, but thousands of people are still waiting for assistance.

The government has allocated R600m to deploy the police to anticipated hotspots and has placed the South African National Defence Force on standby as the country braces for anti-immigrant protests led by March and March and its allies. Operation Dudula and March and March have previously prevented non-South Africans from accessing public healthcare facilities, arguing that undocumented migrants are stretching public services to breaking point.

The South African Medical Association (Sama) said that while it recognises the frustration of communities that depended on overcrowded clinics and hospitals, healthcare workers must be allowed to provide care to patients without fear or interference.

“No individual should be threatened, intimidated or denied their dignity on the basis of their nationality or immigration status. Equally, no healthcare worker should face intimidation for carrying out their professional and ethical responsibilities,” it said.

South Africa’s laws provide for free healthcare to all pregnant women and children under five, regardless of their nationality or immigration status. Foreign nationals with asylum permits, refugee status or a temporary residence permit, as well as undocumented migrants from Southern African Development Community (Sadc) nations are charged the same means-tested fees as citizens for hospital services. And while patients from non-Sadc countries are eligible for higher fees, this is not always enforced.

Sama said the pressure on South Africa’s healthcare system is undeniable, but it is due to years of underinvestment, critical shortages of healthcare professionals and ageing infrastructure.

“While undocumented migration may contribute to the pressure experienced in some communities, it is neither the sole nor the primary cause of the crisis,” it said.

Denying access to healthcare services had potentially serious public health consequences, it said. “Communicable diseases do not recognise nationality or immigration status. Delayed diagnosis and treatment increase the risk of disease transmission, placing entire communities at greater risk and undermining efforts to protect public health,” it said.

A group of more than 400 public healthcare professionals issued a statement on Monday, urging people to stop blaming foreigners for unemployment and collapsing public services.

“There is no available evidence that migrants place a disproportionate burden on public health facilities. Médecins Sans Frontières research and national department of health data actually suggest that migrants ― particularly undocumented migrants ― actively avoid health facilities out of fear of arrest or deportation. They are more likely to delay seeking care than to overuse it,” they said.