“Medical scheme administrators are overstepping the mark in their fraud investigations into healthcare professionals, straying into the terrain of regulatory authorities and claiming back money they have not proved they are entitled to, according to consultancy firm Elsabé Klinck & Associates.” – Business Day 22 August 2019. Klink made a presentation to the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) inquiry into allegations that medical schemes unfairly target black, Indian and coloured healthcare professionals for forensic investigations
“The debate over National Health Insurance (NHI) is fundamentally dishonest. On the one side there is a stubborn refusal to face economic reality. On the other, there is a refusal to recognise that the system of unequal access must change,” wrote Stuart Theobald in Business Day (19 August 2019)
Five years ago, Cape Town-based ophthalmologist William Mapham developed the “Vula” app after working in a remote area in Swaziland, connecting a patient’s medical information and GPs in rural areas to specialists in the cities. The app is now used by doctors in 23 specialities, with 7,719 registered health workers on the system and some specialists providing answers within 15 minutes.
In July, pharmacy retailer Dis-Chem – through a virtual partnership with FNB - launched a click-and-collect function on the bank’s NAV mobile app in a step to increase its market share.