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South Africa may have the highest standard of healthcare on the continent. Every citizen may have access to public healthcare. That is not the case with expatriates
South Africa may have the highest standard of healthcare on the continent. Every citizen may have access to public healthcare. That is not the case with expatriates. If they want to access the public health services, they come with a cost of over US$ 300 per service. Human rights organisations like Section27 and Lawyers for Human Rights in the country have been receiving an influx of complaints from foreign nationals, who relate how they were denied access to healthcare in the most advanced country on the continent.
In parts of South Africa, all maternity cases for foreign patients at public health facilities cost an estimated US$935 US, while routine surgical cases cost over US$3000. Every year, more foreigners are coming forward to speak out about medical exclusion due to the exorbitant upfront fees. The plight of an expatriate woman opting to have childbirth in South Africa is worse, having to part with a huge sum of money. In some cases of delivery, the patient or the family has to part with more than US$ 2000.
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The irony is that while upfront fees are required for more specialised medical treatments, the Department of Health’s gazetted circular states that refugees and asylum seekers, with or without permits, can access the same basic health care services as South African citizens.
