SOUTH AFRICA: National Consultation on the Health of Migrants in South Africa
 The International Organization for Migration, National Department of Health, the Forced Migration Studies Programme (FMSP), University of Witwatersrand, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), hosted a two-day national consultation on “Realising Migrants’ Right to Health in South Africa.” in Pretoria.
The conference, which opened on 22 April, will brought together key players from the government, international organisations, academia, civil society, and the migrant community, to exchange information and improve health coordination and service delivery to migrants in South Africa.
Traditionally migration flows in South Africa were mostly internal from rural to urban areas. However, regional migration patterns have recently increased lately. Both internal and cross-border migration are increasingly recognised as key determinants of health, requiring appropriate public health responses to ensure the well-being of all migrant populations.
Whilst the right to access healthcare is guaranteed by the South African constitution, and extends to all migrants regardless of their documentation status, many undocumented migrants are often reluctant to seek medical assistance due to factors such as the cost of healthcare services, fear of deportation, language barriers and attitudes of healthcare service providers towards migrants.
Jo Vearey, Researcher at the Wits Forced Migration Studies Programme says, “Even though the Department of Health has taken steps to clarify that cross-border migrants have the right to access basic healthcare, migrants continue to face challenges in accessing care. There are clear gaps between policy and implementation”.
The South African consultation on migrant health was a follow-up to the March 2010 Madrid Global Consultation, and sought to: consolidate existing knowledge on migrant health issues in the country; develop a future programme, policy and research agenda; explore processes for contributing to regional structures and initiatives; and to link these efforts with the implementation of the World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution on the health of migrants.
“IOM is committed to working towards improving access to healthcare for all living in South Africa and will provide the necessary support to government and civil society for this purpose,” adds Bernardo Mariano, Regional Representative for the International Organization for Migration in Southern Africa.
The consultation was funded by UNAIDS through the UNAIDS Programme Acceleration Fund (PAF).
For further information please contact Migration Health Information Officer Nosipho Theyise, Tel: +2712 342 2789, Email:
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