Xenophobia or patriotism? Healthcare professionals reject foreigners seeking free healthcare

by Nomonde Simelane

The topic of immigration in South Africa, particularly illegal immigration, is a bubbling pot that is beginning to spill over as more citizens express frustration. Recently, there has been an increase in foreigners being denied free healthcare.

According to the Migration Policy, South Africa boasts the highest immigration rate in Africa and is home to approximately 2.9 million immigrants from across the continent and the rest of the world. Although various communities and cultures have found a second home and have managed to integrate into South African society, the growing number of incoming immigrants and asylum seekers has given rise to some tension and frustration from citizens.

At certain points in history, including recently, this anger and frustration from citizens has resulted in what have been deemed to be xenophobic attacks that circulated across various social media platforms, sparking worldwide controversy and debate. Although these incidents have tagged South Africans as xenophobic, some citizens argue that they are patriotic and are merely looking out for the best interests of their country.

As a result of the growing frustration, some individuals and organisations such as Herman Mashaba’s Action SA have opted to take matters into their own hands. They are doing this by trying to fix the country’s healthcare system through rejecting any foreigners seeking free healthcare. According to this group, the system’s failure to cater to the masses can be attributed to the overcrowding caused by foreign nationals, particularly illegal immigrants.

Despite the South African Human Rights Commission coming out to condemn the recent actions of some healthcare professionals, the movement of redirecting foreign nationals to private healthcare facilities, as opposed to the public ones, appears to be gaining more momentum by the day, as more citizens hop on the bandwagon.

Furthermore, some citizens have taken to social media to add to the conversation and echo the sentiments of frustration, revealing that providing free healthcare even to non-citizens is something that is expected from South Africa and no other country, which is unacceptable. According to these users, every country makes provisions for non-citizens to pay for healthcare one way or another, and South Africa should be no different. This is especially because the overburdened system currently does not work for anyone, including taxpayers.

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