title: Exploring The Migration Profiles of Primary Healthcare Users in South Africa.
abstract: South Africa's public healthcare system responses seldom engage with migration. Our exploratory study investigates migration profiles and experiences of primary healthcare (PHC) users. A cross-sectional survey involving non-probability sampling was conducted with 229 PHC users at six purposively selected PHC clinics in three districts of SA. The survey captured socio-demographic information, migration histories, and PHC experiences. Chi square and Fischer's exact tests were used to compare categorical variables, whilst Mann-Whitney U tests compared continuous variables between groups. Most PHC users were migrants (22% internal South African; 45% cross-border) who generally move for reasons other than healthcare seeking. Length of time accessing services at a specific clinic was shown to be key in describing experiences of PHC use. Understanding population movement is central to PHC strengthening in SA and requires improved understanding of mobility dynamics in regard to not just nationality, but also internal mobility and length of stay.
authors.affiliation: African Centre for Migration & Society, University of the Witwatersand, PO Box 76, Wits, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa. jovearey@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vearey
authors.affiliation: African Centre for Migration & Society, University of the Witwatersand, PO Box 76, Wits, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.
authors.forename: Thea
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: de Gruchy
authors.affiliation: African Centre for Migration & Society, University of the Witwatersand, PO Box 76, Wits, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.
authors.forename: Mphatso
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamndaya
authors.affiliation: African Centre for Migration & Society, University of the Witwatersand, PO Box 76, Wits, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.|London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Helen L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Walls
authors.affiliation: The Aurum Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Candice M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chetty-Makkan
authors.affiliation: African Centre for Migration & Society, University of the Witwatersand, PO Box 76, Wits, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.|London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanefeld
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011320:Primary Health Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013019:South Africa; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Access to healthcare; Migration; Public healthcare; South Africa