Posts tagged with 'medical scheme'

 

SAPS medical scheme – R15.7 million of POLMED’s funds ‘looted’ by board of trustees

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Millions of rand in alleged “unlawful looting” of the SAPS’s medical scheme POLMED have drawn the ire of scores of police officers, who have slammed the level of coverage received.

Claims are that POLMED, which covers 680,000 members and beneficiaries, has “unlawfully” awarded roughly R15.7 million to its BOT (board of trustees) over three years in alleged contravention of its own rules.

Allegations are also that former National Police Commissioner General, Riah Phiyega, was “illegally” elected on to the BOT in contravention of Rule 18.9.9, which states: “Any person removed from an office of trust on account of misconduct should not serve on it.”

According to rule 18.24, Polmed remuneration should be determined by the scheme’s AGM (annual general meeting) and not by the CMS (Council of Medical Schemes).

By Polmed’s own admission, the scheme hasn’t held an AGM since 2015, with questions being raised
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What a disgrace in our Hospitals, woman discharged from hospital, home in an ambulance (graphic photo’s)

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Mrs Kerns had been vomiting uncontrollably for three days by the time she eventually made her way to seek medical assistance.

On December 5 at 16:00 *Mrs Gracie Kerns arrived with her daughter, *Mrs Susan Coombs at Witbank Provincial Hospital.

Mrs Kerns had been vomiting uncontrollably for three days by the time she eventually made her way to seek medical assistance.

An ambulance had to be called to transport Mrs Kerns to the hospital due to her frailty.

Nearly exactly 12 hours after Mrs Kerns had arrived at Witbank Provincial Hospital, at approximately 04:00, she was finally able to see a doctor.

“The ambulance that took her to hospital was in a terrible state,” Mrs Coombs, Mrs Kerns’s daughter, explained; “the doors didn’t close. They’d apparently been kicked off of their hinges by a previous patient. The stretcher was also problematic as it wasn’t very manoeuvrable and lead to us having to shuffle my mother around
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Hard times lies ahead for the ANC’s Department of Health:- angry nurses says, No jobs, no vote

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“No jobs, no vote,” shouted disgruntled nurses who marched to the provincial health department in Pietermaritzburg.

Hundreds of nurses carried placards and handed over a memorandum demanding that unemployed nurses be employed by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health. Nurses from the Health and Other Service Personnel Trade Union of South Africa (HOSPERSA) were part of the march.

The marchers said there were 15,000 unemployed nurses in KZN and 40,000 vacancies for nurses nationwide, according to a “study”.

But when GroundUp asked the provincial chairperson of HOSPERSA, Thamsanqa Zondi, the source of these figures, he said the figures were estimates and should not be used by the media. He said the union did not have a copy of the study.

Last year nurses marched three times demanding that the health department prioritise their demands.

United Nurses Forum president Bhekithemba Gumbi said nothing had changed. Quoting
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Grandson laments treatment at PE hospital – ‘Not one nurse to help him’

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Life St George’s Hospital in Port Elizabeth has launched an internal investigation after the grandson of one of its patients posted photos of his grandfather soaked in urine and blood with “not one nurse to help him”.

This was despite the hospital knowing the elderly man needed 24-hour care for which he was signed up for, Jason Gordon wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

His grandfather was blind and suffered from dementia.

“This is not the first time I have visited him after work to find something wrong. The first time they had inserted his drip incorrectly. It took more than 3 days for the swelling to go down,” Gordon wrote.

“This is not the kind of care I would expect when you pay so much for medical aid; this kind of thing should not be acceptable in any state or private hospital. You would expect people in the medical profession to be compassionate and want to make sure their patients are comfortab
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A tech company, Proteus, just launched a ‘smart’ cancer pills that track you with tiny sensors stamped into your medications

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A US digital medicine company called Proteus makes ‘smart pills’ embedded with sensors that tell your doctor when you’ve taken your medication. The pills also track activity levels.

Backed by big name investors like Novartis, Proteus debuted the first medication made with the technology – a form of the depression and schizophrenia drug Abilify – in 2017.

Now, Proteus is expanding into cancer.

Still, the research on whether the pills actually help patients take their medications when they should remains somewhat unclear.

Would a notification from your doctor as soon as you forget to take your medication help keep you on track?

A digital medicine company called Proteus is betting the answer is yes.

The Silicon Valley-based company makes what have been called “smart pills”: essentially, versions of regular medications embedded with a tiny sensor that can be tracked by a patch worn on a
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Is dental healthcare as affordable and accessible as it should be?

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Oral health is essential to optimal overall health and minimising the probability of developing serious oral health conditions or infections in future. Yet, besides the fear factor, why are so many people reluctant to visit the dentist? “The underlying factors here include resources, socio-economic circumstances, accessibility and education.” “One of the biggest culprits for keeping..
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KPMG-skandaal raak ondersoek na duur medies

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Private hospitaalgroepe maak beswaar daarteen dat KPMG die Mededingingskommissie met sy navorsing gehelp het. ’n Kompromis is nou bereik wat die hospitale toegang tot die navorsing gee. Die KPMG-skandaal pootjie nou ook die markondersoek na die private gesondheidsorg. Die voorlopige bevindinge van die ondersoek moes die afgelope week bekend gemaak word nadat dit verskeie kere..
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So kies jy die regte mediese plan vir jou

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Hospitaalplanne, omvattende dekking, netwerkopsies . . . Besluit watter opsie vir jou die beste is. As jy lid is van ’n mediese fonds, het jy tot 15 Desember kans om jou voordeleopsie vir 2018 te verander. Oorweeg jou gesin se omstandighede: Hoeveel is julle; hoe is jul gesondheid; wat kan jy bekostig? Besluit dan watter..
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What’s driving up our healthcare costs?

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Discovery Health CEO explains why South Africans are paying higher medical aid premiums than ever before. Access to quality healthcare at an affordable price is a critical priority for every family, and in society at large. South Africans lucky enough to afford private healthcare have rapid and convenient access to some of the best quality..
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Cancer treatment waiting times in KZN increase by almost 30% as services stall

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Cancer patients are waiting up to nine months for treatment, says the South African Human Rights Commission. KwaZulu-Natal cancer patients are now waiting nine months for treatment, alleges Democratic Alliance spokesperson for health in KwaZulu-Natal Imran Keeka. In a statement, Keeka said South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) chairperson Bongani Majola revealed this new information..
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