Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi revealed in Parliament that Government has no data on the number of foreign nationals using SA’s public health facilities, reported Business Day (7 August 2025)
This leaves policymakers blind to the full extent of the demand on the nation’s embattled healthcare system and results in the SA taxpayer to foot the entire bill for an unknown patient load.
“This lack of data has been described as ‘reckless and unsustainable’ by opposition parties. According to the latest census data from Stats SA (2022), SA is home to approximately 2.4m international migrants, making up 3.9% of the total population.