Bestmed provider list not sufficient. Told me I can move to a different Medical Aid if I'm unhappy.

We're a family of three on the Bestmed pulse 1 plan. It's a network plan and we pay almost R5000 monthly. However when we joined in 2010 the network was much broader than it is now. Earlier this year my wife needed to see a gynecologist due to being pregnant but they only had about 4 on their books in the entire Cape Town. After complaining they proceeded to find one closer to our house which was great but it's unacceptable that the provider base is shrinking.

They keep blaming it on the doctors but in the end if you keep increasing the monthly premiums but the service gets worse something is not right. They also don't inform their clients that the provider list is shrinking. And believe me, it's shrinking fast...!! My boy needs to have his tonsils removed and they only have 3 ENT's in the whole of Pta. Not one of them is nearby. All of them on the other side of town from where we'll be staying. I find this unacceptable.

And to make matters worse I've just been told by a call centre person and her supervisor that I don't have to be on their plan and I'm welcome to move to a different medical aid if I'm not happy... How's that? They claim to be clientsentric... I beg to differ. I will have to look for a different medical aid now as I don't have faith in them signing up more providers any time soon. And I feel extremely hurt by the fact that we pay every month but then get treated like this.

I wonder if they even bring it under new clients' attention that they are about to run out of providers. Please note that I'm talking about specialists. Only 3 ENT's in a whole city. SA's capital! Unacceptable!