Bonitas Member Magazine B-Living Issue 3 | Page 4

Rest assured, you’re in good hands The healthcare industry has been plagued by escalating healthcare costs which has seen several smaller schemes unable to sustain the balancing act of providing affordable cover while maintaining financial sustainability – a trend that is expected to continue. As one of the largest and most stable medical schemes in South Africa, our mission is to make quality healthcare more affordable and more accessible. We are, therefore, proud that many of these smaller schemes see Bonitas as a solution to the future for their existing members. We assure you that we will always do this in a very responsible manner as to not negatively affect our current members. It is against this backdrop that approximately 5 600 members of the Community Medical Aid Scheme joined Bonitas in August. We are pleased that the Council for Medical Schemes has endorsed this opportunity and we welcome these members into our fold and will ensure that their healthcare needs are taken care of. From a fiscal perspective, we are definitely seeing positive changes. We released our financial results at the end of July and are pleased to reveal that we have recovered strongly from the large financial deficit in 2015. Our reserves have increased to R3.1 billion, which places us in a stronger, more robust financial position where we are confident of our ability to meet members’ claims. We strive to help members derive real value for money and stretch their benefits as far as possible. Our strong financials are largely due to rigorous negotiation Page 3 strategies premised on strategic purchasing and the development of advanced managed care protocols. The past financial year saw the board and management team determined to improve the operational, financial and strategic position of the Fund to ensure sustainability. Our cost-containment initiatives continue to bear fruit, allowing our financial indicators to improve significantly in an industry plagued by escalating costs and high claims cycles. One of these initiatives is the back and neck programme, which is designed to help members manage back and neck pain in a clinically proven way. Read more about this on page 11. To top things off, we were awarded the 2017/2018 Ask Afrika IconBrands Award for the medical aid category for the second year in a row. The awards are independently run by the Target Group Index and awarded based on a series of market research factors including surveying 15 284 consumers. We also unveiled our Just In Case safety campaign (see page 20) which is taking safety lessons to 43 000 learners across South Africa. Simplifying things for our members is one of our core focus areas. As a result, we launched our new, improved website and are currently making changes to our call centre to assist you speedily and efficiently (see page 18). We’re looking forward to building on these developments over the next few months to bring you enhanced services and offerings. Gerhard Gerhard van Emmenis Principal Officer Tell us how you feel Share your stories about how Bonitas Medical Fund has made a difference to your life and it could be featured in the next issue of B-Living. Email your stories to [email protected]. B-Living Issue 3, 2017