Humanity lacking as Gauteng hospitals turn away asylum seeker in labour

6 June 2017

The Gauteng Health Department needs to seriously examine how three state hospitals could refuse admission to a Congolese asylum seeker who ended up giving birth at the Park Station in a desperate attempt to find a hospital that would take her in.

Francine Kalala was first refused admission at the Tshwane District Hospital when she arrived there in labour on Thursday last week.

After the Steve Biko Hospital also refused her admission, she and her husband Serge boarded a Gautrain to get to a Johannesburg hospital that they thought would take them in.

She gave birth on the floor at Park Station, and an ambulance took her and the baby to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital which also barred her access. After 8 hours, she and her baby finally got treatment at the Hillbrow Community Health Centre.

This shameful saga exposes a highly disturbing streak of inhumanity in the hospital staff who contravened the constitutional provision to provide basic health care to everyone, including foreigners.

This is probably not an isolated case.

The Gauteng Health Department needs to enforce the constitution and ensure that no person in need is ever turned away from a public hospital.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 6 June 2017