Health dept: elderly to bring cards
The department of health confirmed that pensioners must bring their South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) cards as proof that they receive a social grant to avoid paying for their visit at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital.
POLOKWANE – The department of health confirmed that pensioners must bring their South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) cards as proof that they receive a social grant to avoid paying for their visit at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital. This comes after pensioners complained that they have to pay R120 for their visit to the hospital if they did not have their Sassa cards as proof of being pensioners.
According to pensioners who spoke to Review on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised, their identity documents (ID’s) which clearly identified their age, were not enough proof that they were pensioners.
Billy Teffo, a department spokesperson, said: “Sassa cards are used in conjunction with ID’s and letters of confirmation from Sassa that the person is indeed receiving a grant and will therefore qualify for free services.”
Teffo added that any patient attending a public hospital is classified according to the uniform patient fee schedule (UPFS) and patient classifications are:
• H0 – fully subsidised;
• H1 and 2 – partially subsidised;
• Fully paying patients.
Teffo said that patients who qualify for full subsidisation are social pensioners, formally unemployed people and persons re-classified as H0.
“Recipients of the following types of pension or grants are classified as social pensioners: old age pension, child support grant, veteran’s pension, care dependency grant, pension for the blind, family allowance, maintenance grant, disability grant, single-care grant, and persons with mental disorders in need of care discharged from hospitals for the mentally ill, but has not been decertified.
“Should the social pensioners also belong to a medical scheme, they will be regarded as full paying patients,” Teffo explained.
Teffo added that formally unemployed are persons supported by the unemployment insurance fund (UIF). Proof of unemployment from the department of labour must be produced.
“If a patient cannot afford the fees on the basis of their original classification, the patient may then be re-classified as H0 by the person in charge of the healthcare facility, the chief executive officer or assignee,” Teffo said.
Asked if there were any special processes for pensioners, pregnant women and people with disabilities at the hospital, Teffo confirmed that there were.
“A queue marshall at the out patient department (OPD) assesses patients as they enter the hospital for services and direct those who need immediate attention such as pensioners, pregnant women and people with disabilities for immediate assistance,” Teffo explained.
