Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has raised alarm over ongoing xenophobic actions in parts of South Africa that are blocking non-South African nationals—regardless of documentation—from accessing public healthcare services, putting the lives of vulnerable patients at risk.
According to a press release issued by MSF on Thursday, anti-migrant groups have in recent weeks physically obstructed entry to hospitals and clinics in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, targeting pregnant women, people living with HIV, chronic patients, and children.
“The results of our assessment are highly distressing and unacceptable,” said Claire Waterhouse, Director of MSF Southern Africa’s Operational Support Unit. “We urge the Department of Health to immediately address healthcare facilities that are enabling or encouraging any kind of denial of healthcare.”
MSF has called on South Africa’s National Department of Health (NDoH) and relevant provincial authorities to urgently intervene to guarantee healthcare access for all, as protected under the South African Constitution and National Health Act.
Following reports of patient exclusion, MSF conducted a field assessment, visiting 15 healthcare facilities across Gauteng. At more than half of them, MSF staff witnessed non-South African patients being turned away by groups of civilians—often between 2 to 10 individuals—stationed either at clinic gates or inside the facilities. In some cases, security staff and healthcare workers reportedly colluded with the anti-migrant groups.
MSF also followed up with nearly 50 affected patients across Johannesburg, Durban, and Tshwane. These included late-term pregnant women, individuals with HIV, hypertension, or diabetes, many of whom were left without medication or treatment.
“It is critical that the Departments of Health ensure clinics are safe for all who need them, through timely police protection and community engagement,” said Waterhouse.
Among those impacted is Thando, a 33-year-old undocumented woman who was 16 weeks pregnant and hypertensive when she was forcibly removed from a hospital queue in Gauteng on 14 July.
“A man waved a South African ID card and told us to leave if we didn’t have one. Nurses laughed and supported him, saying they were tired of us,” she told MSF.
Another woman, Rose, 38-weeks pregnant, described her experience as traumatic and frightening.
“If you’re pregnant and chased away, you get stressed. I wonder what will happen if I have complications,” she said.
Tecla, a 44-year-old domestic worker living with HIV since 2008, expressed fear over defaulting on her antiretroviral treatment after seeing neighbors turned away at her local clinic in Johannesburg.
“I can’t afford private care. I’ve even thought of going back home, but I have no money,” she said.
This is not the first instance of healthcare access being denied on xenophobic grounds in South Africa. In 2022, Operation Dudula supporters staged protests outside Kalafong Hospital in Tshwane, demanding the exclusion of foreigners from public services—until the government was forced to intervene and publicly affirm healthcare as a universal right.
MSF, which has operated in South Africa since 2007, has frequently responded to the impact of xenophobic violence on access to essential health services for migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.
MSF Raises Alarm Over Healthcare Discrimination in South Africa
In recent months, MSF also provided humanitarian support to displaced migrants in Addo, Eastern Cape, following violent attacks targeting non-South Africans.
MSF is now urging South African health authorities to:
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Reaffirm the right of access to healthcare for all, regardless of nationality or documentation status
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Deploy law enforcement to protect healthcare facilities from intimidation and interference
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Conduct community health education to combat xenophobia and encourage all patients to return safely to clinics
“Blaming non-South Africans for the strain on health services is not a solution,” said Waterhouse. “We need structural reforms, not scapegoating.”
MSF warns that continued disruption of care could result in avoidable complications, disease transmission, and long-term damage to South Africa’s already strained health system.
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