The South African government has placed a huge emphasis on the health and welfare of all its citizens, and the various bills and amendments are testament to that. One of these legislations is the National Health Bill. In this piece of legislation the treatment that must be given to all South Africans are stipulated. These conditions that citizens must receive treatment for are referred to as the Prescribed Minimum Benefits. The National Health Bill states that people, regardless of where they find themselves in terms of a hospital must be given this treatment. People belonging to medical schemes, even if they find themselves in a waiting period or if their limits are exceeded must receive treatment to protect their lives.

The Prescribed Minimum Benefits consists of 270 conditions and its accompanying treatment. Included in the Prescribed Minimum Benefits is the Chronic Disease List which details 27 chronic conditions for which all South Africans must also receive treatment for. While the National Health Bill has assured the entire population of health care, it also opened the door for exorbitant costs for medical schemes as they have to pay the costs for these treatments, regardless of what the doctor or hospital charges. To curb these costs medical schemes have put designated service providers in place to provide these treatments to their members.

The full list of treatments and diseases are available on the website for the Council for Medical Schemes. However, if you believe that you have received treatment or even a lack of treatment that is in contravention of the National Health Bill, contact Adele van der Walt Attorneys today. We will help you with all your queries and concerns to do with the National Health Bill. With our experience in litigating medical cases, we are sure to give you the result you have been looking for.

For more information on this subject, please give us a call at 012 460 3668 (SA)
or e-mail us at linda@avdw.co.za