Most medical schemes have launched their benefits and contributions for 2017 and it is the time when you should be re-looking at your existing medical aid cover or, if you are wanting to join a scheme, investigating which one suits you best. The medical aid landscape can be tricky to navigate so it is important..
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How to choose a medical aid
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Genesis wins case on accounting for use of medical savings funds
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On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court ruled that all funds paid by members to their schemes should be considered as assets, regardless of their intended use. Genesis medical scheme has won its legal battle with the Council of Medical Schemes over how to account for the funds in members’ medical savings accounts (MSAs), a development that..
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Natural Cold and Flu Remedies
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Natural Cold and Flu Remedies It’s no wonder these kinds of treatments are popular — we still have no cure for colds or the flu. While the flu vaccine may prevent the flu, and some prescription medications may shorten its symptoms, most conventional medications just ease symptoms. Many natural remedies can give you short-term relief..
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The real reason SA’s doctors won’t deliver your baby
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Medico-legal litigation has exploded. As of March 2016, claims against the health department from the previous five years stood at more than R37‑billion. By October that year, the figure had jumped to R51‑billion — or a third of the whole public healthcare budget if we had to pay every cent. The medico-legal litigation pandemic threatens..
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Medical aid board says SA has no choice but to back NHI
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South Africa’s healthcare system is not merely unviable or unsustainable, “it is at the brink of collapse” if the government does not intervene, says the Board of Healthcare Funders, which represents most medical aid schemes in the country. “People are paying contributions to their medical schemes that are higher than inflation,” Humphrey Zokufa, who heads..
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Medical fraud costs the country’s economy
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The phenomenon of suspiciously qualified or unqualified doctors opening shop in some township and attracting unsuspecting patients has become a concerning norm. Discussions and debate are focused on state capture and its effect on the economy, but there’s another beast eating away at productivity, hurting the economy and undermining our health system. South Africa is..
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Medici medical app launches in South Africa
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A medical app, Medici, that is said to be revolutionising the doctor-patient relationship, is now available in South Africa. The next-generation secure messaging app enables users to communicate virtually with medical providers via text, call, or video. Originally launched in the U.S., the app hosts an array of practitioners including family physicians, paediatricians, dermatologists, dentists,..
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Best and worst medical aids in South Africa.
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The latest GTC Medical Aid Survey for 2016 has been released, which compares local medical aid schemes on price across various levels of cover. According to the latest General Household Survey from Stats SA, only 17.5% of South Africans are covered by medical aid. Between 2002 and 2015, individuals who were covered by a medical..
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‘No money for medicines’ shock – What is going to happen to the patients ???
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Patients’ anti-depressant, anti-anxiety drugs cut – but department denies shortage State patients needing anti-anxiety drugs or anti-depressants are being turned away from Provincial Hospital’s outpatient clinic and told by the nurses to buy their own drugs or that they do not need pills to stop an anxiety attack. “I have lost so much weight that..
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Is your GP contracted in to a medical scheme network?
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If GPs are contracted in to a medical scheme network, they might be pressurised to recommend cheaper treatment options and medications, say SA health bodies. The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) and the IPA Foundation (IPAF) is extremely concerned at the comments made recently by the Health Professions Council of South Africa concerning Designated Service..
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