Court upholds healthcare rights of pregnant women and children migrants
Ruling ends denial of health care to migrants, regardless of their nationality or documentation status
18 April 2023 - 05:00
The high court in Johannesburg has upheld the rights of all pregnant women and children under the age of six to free public health services, regardless of their nationality or documentation status.
These rights are set out in the National Health Act but were overridden by the Gauteng health department in 2020, when it instructed public hospitals to charge migrants for these services. The policy was challenged by public interest law centre section 27, which launched legal action last May in the wake of complaints from migrant women of harrowing treatment at the hands of the Gauteng public health system...
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