By Neelam Rahim

Minister of Health Joe Phaahla met with members of the Operation Dudula Movement while visiting the beleaguered Kalafong Hospital in Tshwane on Thursday. The organisation has been disrupting operations at the hospital for weeks, checking patients’ credentials to ascertain whether they were South African citizens or foreigners.

In discussion with Radio Islam International is The Minister’s spokesperson, Foster Mohale.

Said the Minister and department of health are very concerned over the actions of some of these groupings and individuals who vent their anger or raise their concerns by disrupting access to health services which is a human right.

He said, Thursday, the Minister embarked on a meeting at Kalafong Hospital, one of the facilities around Gauteng affected by the disruptions targeting foreigners.

The Minister managed to meet with them and listen to their issues for him to understand their concerns to address them better.

The disruptions partly affected the staff members as the patient’s and health workers’ lives were at risk.

The country’s constitution provides that no one can be denied access to health care based on nationality or race.

The Minister has indicated bilateral discussions between SADC, South Africa, Mozambique and other countries. This is not only the problem of foreign nationals from Zimbabwe but also in other countries.

According to Foster, many complex issues cannot be addressed at once but must be dealt with one-on-one.

Regarding the agreement reached between operation Dudula and the Minister, Foster said the Minister had urged them to raise their concerns via the correct channels to receive a response from the government instead of going to the facilities and disrupting services.

Listen to the interview on Radio Islam’s podcast below.