{"id":142516,"date":"2019-08-01T02:47:38","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T00:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/migration-and-health-what-southern-africa-needs-to-do-to-plug-the-gaps-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2019-08-01T02:47:38","modified_gmt":"2019-08-01T00:47:38","slug":"migration-and-health-what-southern-africa-needs-to-do-to-plug-the-gaps-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/migration-and-health-what-southern-africa-needs-to-do-to-plug-the-gaps-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Migration and health: what southern Africa needs to do to plug the gaps | The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Migration and health: what southern Africa needs to do to plug the gaps<\/a>: <\/p>\n

<\/span> Shutterstock<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A global commission on health and migration has released its report on how health care systems fail migrants. The aim is to provide the basis for evidence-based approaches to policy. The report calls on civil society, academics, and policy makers to maximise the benefits and reduce the costs of migration on health. Ina Skosana asked three of the commissioners to explain what the report found on the challenges facing countries in southern Africa.<\/em><\/p>\n

What do we know about migration and health in South Africa and regionally? Why is there a concern?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Both internal and cross-border migrants play a crucial role in sustaining household livelihoods and bolstering the South African economy. The concern is two-fold. The first is to strengthen health systems to serve both host populations and internal migrants most effectively. The second is to ensure a public health system that is capable \u2013 despite resource constraints \u2013 of responding humanely and effectively to cross-border migrants. <\/p>\n

But, in reality, we know far less than we should to design effective health systems. This is surprising since the South African mining economy \u2013 and to a degree, regional economies \u2013 rested for decades on a web of coercive labour legislation designed to ensure the supply of low-wage migrant workers. Levels of temporary (often labour) migration remain as high as they were before South Africa become a democracy in 1994. <\/p>\n

The profile of internal labour migrants is changing. The majority are men. But growing numbers of younger women are migrating to join the labour force, many leaving young children in the care of family members. <\/p>\n

Are health systems prepared to deal with the movement of people within and across borders?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the commission report explains, health systems are generally structured around nation-states. This means that migration, especially mobility across national borders, can lead to challenges. For one thing, access is critical. Aspects of access include:<\/p>\n