In the last year, 230 people interviewed by Ritshidze across Mpumalanga had been denied services because they did not have an identity document. “I was turned away,” one person explained to us. “I walked out crying. I could not get contraceptives. When I came back I discovered I was pregnant. I was shouted at. They said that treatment is not free, that I should not have come from Mozambique. We are not attended to if we do not have IDs. They are chasing us out and shouting at us. They even wanted to call the police.”

Denial of health services are among ten key issues outlined in the fourth edition of a new Ritshidze State of Health report in Mpumalanga. Being denied services is a humiliating, painful, and unjust experience to go through — and a violation of the Constitutional right to health, equality, and human dignity. While some people may suffer the indignity of trying to get services another time, others can be pushed out of care altogether. Watch the full video below of one migrant’s experience in trying to access healthcare.

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