Access to and provision of sexual and reproductive health services in Ekurhuleni, South Africa: Experiences and coping strategies of migrant women and healthcare workers

Abstract

The importance of universal access to health services including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services by migrant  populations and the fundamental role of healthcare workers in providing SRHR services, requires a balanced understanding of the  experiences of both migrants and healthcare workers. This study explored the experiences of migrant women in accessing and utilising  SRHR services and the experiences of healthcare workers in providing SRHR and HIV services in Ekurhuleni, South Africa. In-depth  interviews were conducted with five internal migrants, eight international migrant women aged 18-49 years, and four healthcare workers.  Migrant women were selected using snowball sampling while healthcare workers were purposively sampled. Migrant women  face multifaceted challenges including but not limited to language barriers, discrimination based on migration status, cultural and  religious hurdles when accessing and utilising SRHR and HIV services. Similarly, healthcare workers encounter challenges in providing  SRHR and HIV services to migrant women which include language barriers and having migrants who seek services without referral  documentation and legal migration documents. Training healthcare workers on cultural sensitivity and integration of migrant friendly  services in the health policy may improve migrant women’s experiences in accessing and utilising as well as healthcare workers’  experiences in providing SRHR services.