Operation Dudula Protestors Stop Patients From Receiving Medical Attention at Kalafong Hospital

• Protestors outside Kalafong Hospital in Tshwane are denying patients who are suspected to be foreign nationals medical care
• Doctors Without Borders has condemned the "xenophobic" protests, saying the politicisation of the South African healthcare system is concerning
• The organisation claims that inflammatory comments by prominent government officials are fueling hostility against immigrants

PRETORIA - Demonstrators who claim to be Operation Dudula members have been protesting outside the Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital in Atterrigeville, Tshwane, barring patients from entering the medical facility.

The protest has been going on for three weeks, and Doctors Without Borders (DWB) has condemned the protest, saying it's xenophobic because the patients turned away are migrants.

TimesLIVE reported that the protesters have been using loudhailers to chant threatening statements, and DWB have urged health authorities and leaders to protect access to healthcare for all who require it.

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DWB claims that the protestors turned several people away based on their appearance and accent. The protestors also demanded that all foreigners be removed from the medical facility.

Hostility to migrants receiving healthcare in South Africa is rising after prominent government officials have made inflammatory comments about the burden foreigners place on the South African healthcare system.

Dr Tasnaya Chinsamy, medical activity manager for DWB in Tshwane, said that the politicisation of healthcare in South Africa is concerning.

Chinsamy said:

“Serious notifiable diseases could go unrecorded and untreated, which will inhibit the public healthcare system’s overall capacity and ability to contain infectious disease outbreaks.”

The Citizen reported that denying medical care to immigrants is an increasing trend in Gauteng hospitals. DWB claimed that it has recorded several instances where this has happened, and many cases involve access to maternal and child health.

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South Africans shared their views on the protest outside Kalafong Hospital

Some South African have congratulated the protestor, while others believe they are on the wrong side of history.

Here are some comments:

Operation Dudula heads to Cape Town, raids businesses that employ foreign nationals

Previously Briefly News reported that over 200 Operation Dudula members took to the streets of Cape Town on Wednesday, 10 August, and marched to shops and petrol stations suspected of hiring foreign nationals.

They aimed to demand that the establishments get rid of their foreign staff in favour of unemployed youth in the area.

TimesLIVE reported that the group of protesters handed over the CVs of unemployed South Africans and gave the workplaces a deadline of seven days to employ the youth.

Source: Briefly News