South Africa’s Health Minister, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, told Operation Dudula during a meeting earlier this week that the laws allowing foreign nationals to use public health facilities will not change. He emphasized that health facilities must treat everyone who is sick regardless of their nationality or documentation status, and it is illegal to deny medical care based on those factors.

Motsoaledi warned Operation Dudula against their protests and actions that target healthcare facilities and block access for undocumented foreigners. He explained that healthcare workers take an oath to treat all patients and cannot be instructed to refuse care to anyone without documentation. The Minister also highlighted that many South Africans themselves lack documentation and that healthcare is not free for everyone but emergency treatment cannot be refused.

He stated that the problem of undocumented people should not be addressed through vigilante actions targeting health facilities but through proper legal channels and immigration laws. Motsoaledi made it clear that health workers do not have the capacity or mandate to act as immigration officers, and enforcement of immigration laws is a separate issue from healthcare provision.

The meeting was part of efforts to quell tensions caused by Operation Dudula’s campaigns that involve questioning patients about their nationality and demanding identity documents at health facilities. The Health Minister’s stance reinforces that access to healthcare will remain inclusive for foreign nationals under existing law.

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