Health Minister to visit Kalafong Hospital following clashes
Dr Joe Phaahla is expected to do a site visit at Kalafong Hospital in Tshwane after immigrants were allegedly blocked by Operation Dudula.
Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, is expected to visit Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital in Atteridgeville, City of Tshwane on Thursday to assess the impact of the current sporadic protests on access to health services.
As previously reported, Operation Dudula members were allegedly using skin colour and language to ascertain if one is South African or not and if they will get access to healthcare services. This has been the case in other clinics and hospitals in Gauteng, especially in Johannesburg.
JOE PHAAHLA TO VISIT KALAFONG HOSPITAL
The Department of Health said it cautions against any individual or organisations whose actions pose a threat on the lives of health workers and patients. It also promised to accordingly together with the law enforcement agencies.
According to Doctors Without Borders‘ Health Promotion Supervisor in Tshwane, Sibusiso Ndlovu, one of the patients denied care at Kalafong Hospital on Thursday, 25 August was a migrant woman who was 37 weeks pregnant with high blood pressure. MSF said the patient had to seek help from a local clinic instead, which was not equipped to provide adequate treatment.
MSF Medical Activity Manager in Tshwane, Dr Tasanya Chinsamy said when patients are denied the appropriate level of care initially their conditions often worsen and they return as emergency patients.
“Their risk of becoming more ill or dying is thus greatly increased, as is the cost to the government. Nobody benefits and the most vulnerable suffer disproportionately regardless of their nationality or legal status,” she said .
On Tuesday, 30 August, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng said South African law does not in any way allow protestors to deny migrants access to medical care and that such is a blatant human rights violation.
The party also accused the Department of Health of failing in its mandate to provide quality healthcare to people, saying that such leads to cheap propaganda which suggests that immigrants are responsible for the collapse of the health system.
“Immigrants are not to blame for the collapse of the health system, Operation Dudula and similar elements should rather direct their anger to those found guilty of looting hospital money for skinny jeans like in the case of Tembisa Tembisa,” the party said.
ALSO READ: ‘Our African brothers’: EFF condemns ‘attacks’ at Kalafong Hospital
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