ActionSA slams Health Dept’s failure to track nationalities of patients at State facilities

CAPE TOWN - ActionSA has slammed the Health Department for not keeping track of the nationalities of patients seeking treatment at State facilities.  

ActionSA member of Parliament (MP), Dr Kgosi Letlape, said this makes it impossible to budget and plan properly and ensure adequate resources at overburdened hospitals and clinics. 

Last month, Operation Dudula activists in Durban and Johannesburg attempted to turn away foreign nationals seeking treatment at several State facilities because of the impact they believe this is having on care offered to citizens.   

ActionSA is opposed to foreign nationals seeking free medical assistance when citizens are already bearing the brunt of overcrowding and long waits for assistance.  

READ: Health Dept says SA carries cost of treating foreign nationals, while upholding Constitution

Letlape said the health minister's admission in response to a parliamentary question confirms its view that the department is unable to account for the full scope of service delivery liabilities. 

He said it's particularly concerning that millions of undocumented foreign nationals are making use of taxpayer-funded services.  
  
"We do not know the magnitude of the impact on health services. All that we see are drug shortages, poor quality of services, long queues, inability to serve the people who attend is because we do not know the numbers that attend our institutions." 
  
In May, ActionSA submitted proposals to Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee to amend the Constitution to limit healthcare services to citizens and legally recognised residents.