Lindsay Dentlinger 25 October 2024 | 16:08

Health Dept must recoup money spent treating foreign nationals at State facilities: Parly's health committee

Reviewing the department’s 2023/24 annual report this week, the committee said it was concerned about the impact of treating foreign nationals on service delivery.

Health Dept must recoup money spent treating foreign nationals at State facilities: Parly's health committee

The emergency unit at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. Picture: Masego Mafata/GroundUp

CAPE TOWN - Parliament’s health committee wants the Department of Health to consider recouping money spent on treating foreign nationals at State facilities.

Reviewing the department’s 2023/24 annual report this week, the committee said it was concerned about the impact of treating foreign nationals on service delivery.

Democratic Alliance (DA) member of Parliament Michele Clark has suggested the matter be raised in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for governments to reimburse the State for the treatment of their citizens.

Parliament’s health committee says oversight visits to State health facilities - particularly in the North West - have highlighted the strain placed on services having to treat foreign nationals - both documented and not.

The department has not budgeted for their treatment thus stretching already constrained resources.

"Ethically you’ve got to treat. But there has to be a policy that you treat, and after treating you call home affairs because every foreigner should pay for the services that are rendered to them," said medical doctor turned Action SA politician Dr Kgosi Letlape.

The DA’s Michele Clark agreed, saying: "We need to treat every person in this country but there must be some form of reimbursement in terms of the cost factor."

Parliament's health committee chairperson, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, said doctors in neighbouring countries have been known to give their patients referral letters to be treated in South Africa.