A political storm has erupted in South Africa after a video went viral showing the health MEC for the Limpopo province – which borders Zimbabwe – berating a Zimbabwean woman who was seeking healthcare.
Responses have been divided. Some have called for MEC Phophi Ramathuba to step down on the grounds that verbally abusing a patient was out of order. Others have supported her, saying she reflects the sentiments of South Africans living in the area. The Conversation Africa spoke to Kudakwashe Vanyoro, who has done research on the treatment of migrants in South Africa’s healthcare sector, to unpack the issue.
In this context, medical xenophobia is a term that scholars use to describe negative attitudes, perceptions and practices of healthcare providers towards non-national patients on the basis of their national origin. Providers include frontline staff like nurses, doctors, clerks and security personnel.
In most instances, language, documentation and referral systems are used as vehicles of this discrimination. Healthcare providers scapegoat non-nationals for being unable to speak the local language, lacking referral letters or being undocumented.It’s a very serious problem. But the experiences of non-nationals aren’t all the same.Take geographic context. Discrimination may be more widespread in metropolitan spaces like Johannesburg where there’s increased political scapegoating of migrants.
This points to the need to avoid generalisations. It’s important to break down where the pressure points are and how healthcare providers respond. My research shows that not all South African health providers are hostile to all African migrants.South Africa’s public healthcare system is overburdened. But this is not because of non-nationals. According to the most reliable statistics they constitute no more than 8% of the total population.
The blame on migrants is therefore misplaced as these are health system management and governance issues. This should not be a debate about individuals in a country which continues to feel the effects of health inequalities embedded by apartheid.A higher concentration of non-nationals is likely in areas of high mobility and transit like border towns and metropolitan cities.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Better South Africa, better Africa and better world – Moroe | CitypressMoroe, who has served South Africa in Nigeria for almost five years as deputy high commissioner, says the new appointment gives him an opportunity to give further impetus to some of the work he has been doing in the past five years. | City_Press
Read more »
South Africa: Road Accident Fund's New Rule Irks - South African News Briefs - August 29, 2022
Read more »
South Africa: Ramaphosa Faces Grilling at Parliament - South African News Briefs - August 30, 2022
Read more »
Good news for petrol and food prices in South AfricaConsumers are in for a reprieve in the coming months in South Africa as economic indicators point to food price inflation stabilising, while end-month data from the Central Energy Fund shows a likely petrol price cut for September.
Read more »
South Africa finalising new rules that could ban fluorescent light bulb salesTrade and industry minister Ebrahim Patel said the new regulations could be gazetted by September 2022.
Read more »
Car smuggling between South Africa and Mozambique a major concernVIDEO | In the past three months, 36 vehicles have been recovered and 22 suspects arrested in the ongoing car smuggling incidents on the Mpumalanga borderlines with Mozambique.
Read more »