XENOBAROMETER: Durban’s Denis Hurley Centre clinic buckles under pressure of xenophobia, medicine stockouts

The Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) in downtown Durban, the only nonprofit clinic of its kind offering holistic medical care to homeless and indigent people, is facing unprecedented challenges. Dr. Rishigen Viranna, the clinic's doctor, is forced to turn away patients who are "crying for life-saving medication" due to a shortage of TB and HIV drugs and an influx of foreign nationals seeking chronic medication after losing access to public healthcare.

The clinic has seen a tenfold increase in medication expenditure, from R10,000 to about R100,000 per month, despite the supply of life-saving drugs being suspended by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health. The influx of patients has also led to a surge in mental strain for staff members, with some patients arriving "beaten or stabbed."

A recent survey of 294 patients conducted by the DHC revealed that 239 were foreign nationals, 184 of whom had tried to access a government healthcare facility in the previous year. A staggering 92% of these foreign nationals said they had been prevented from accessing the facilities, even after presenting documentation. This has further reinforced the belief that anti-immigrant groups, such as March and March vigilantes, have blocked many legally resident foreign nationals from accessing healthcare in Durban.

The DHC, a tripartite building named after Archbishop Denis Hurley, has been a beacon of interfaith cooperation in the city. Its ground floor serves 1,200 patients monthly, and it prides itself on feeding 350 people five days a week. However, recent events have tested the resilience of the centre, as the clinic must now divert patients who cannot access government clinics due to violence and lack of documentation.