A research project submitted to the School of Public Health in partial fulfilment of the
requirement for the Degree of Master of Public Health, in the field of Social and
Behaviour Change Communication.
Date: June 2017 / Globally, access to maternal and child healthcare remains a fundamental human right for all,
regardless of an individual’s migration status (1). People migrate for a variety of reasons,
and this mobility brings forth implications for health provision, health care experiences and
human rights, both for the migrants and their host population (2, 3). An increasing number of
cross-border or international migrant women globally report difficulties in access to and use
of healthcare services, including maternal and child health (4, 5). Little evidence in South
Africa on these issues proposes that there is a need for deeper knowledge in this regard.
South Africa is a signatory to a range of international commitments that place emphasis on
the non-discriminatory provision of health services and a progressive health policy assuring
health for all, including free access to antenatal care (ANC) (1). Despite this, South Africa’s
maternal and child health outcomes continue to be poor - including that of migrants (6, 7).
The increased number of migrants from neighbouring countries is perceived to have placed
a burden on the South African healthcare system (4). The aim of this study was to explore
the experiences and perceptions of Zimbabwean cross-border migrant mothers in accessing
routine antenatal care, obstetric care and infant/child immunisation in public healthcare
facilities in, Gauteng, South Africa (2015-2016). Through a qualitative study design, the
researcher gathered data by means of 13 face-to-face interviews with a purposive and
snowball sample of participants.
Few participants gave positive reports on the quality of ANC and immunization services they
had received. It is therefore important to ensure that this positive care is maintained across
all public health facilities in order to instill confidence among health recipients. However,
most of the study participants experienced barriers in accessing quality routine ANC and
infant immunisation in the country’s public health facilities. These challenges include
language barriers, discrimination and poor nurse-patient relationships. Based on these
findings and conclusions, the researcher recommends that the South African National
Department of Health addresses some of the challenges affecting cross-border migrant
vi
women in accessing maternal health care in public facilities nationally through the
formulation, implementation and follow-up of policies. Furthermore, health care providers
need to be continuously educated and motivated to respect the rights of all patients,
regardless of an individual’s migration status, in order to instil positive attitudes and quality
care. There is also a need to conduct further research in other provinces of the country,
preferably with cross-border migrant women from other countries, and draw comparisons
with South African women in order to take appropriate steps to address the challenges. / MT2017
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/23144 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Saburi, Susan |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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