Dis-Chem and bestmed problems

See my first email to Dis-Chem

Feb 2023 at 12:48, <@gmail.com> Good day

I trust this email finds you well. I am one of the Dis-Chem loyal customer. I am really disappointed about the service I have received recently and the information received among your nurse professionals

On 17 Feb 2023 I took my two son’s for childhood vaccination using bestmed medical aid. Before I visit Dis-Chem pharmacy I did consult bestmed medical aid about the benefits. Bestmed issued me with the booklet regarding immunisation program and who is covered and age limit.

At Dis-Chem cradle stone ( krugersdorp or roodepoort) I met the sister who could not assist me. She captured the details on the system and told me the medical aid did not approve her to administer the MMR vaccine due to the fact that it requires the details and of the referring doctor. So the nurse asked me to contact my medical aid . Bestmed agent told me they could not approve because the nurse was not using the nurse practice number rather the nurse used pharmacist practice number. So on Friday 17 Feb 2023 I spent time calling different Dis-Chem branches to establish if they are using nurse practice number or pharmacist practice number and I found that all your nurse use pharmacist practice number. So this left me wondering why did bestmed approve Dis-Chem for childhood vaccination if they are unable to submit the nurse practice number . What I find strange was I know few people who have used Dis-Chem and bestmed medical aid for childhood vaccine without a problem.

On a separate matter while I was at cradle stone on 17 Feb 2023 the nurse who was attending me was surprised when I told her that her colleague previously on 20 June 2022 administered measle only vaccine. Which was against my wish as I wanted my son to be given MMR that contain the very same measle shot. The attending nurse on the 20 June 2022 told me it was compulsory for my son to receive two single shots of measles and followed by two MMR shots . If the MMR shot was administered on the 20 June 2022 I wouldn’t be in a panic mode about the current mumps outbreak. So the attending nurse on 17 Feb 2023 was also shocked that the attending nurse should have administered MMR but she failed.

In another separate case is when the nurse attending me on 17 Feb 2023 at cradle stone told me in order for my two son’s to get meningitis ,chicken pox and twinrix vaccine the GP has to provide me with the prescription/referral letter because the vaccines are schedule 4. However when I phone Dis-Chem princess crossing in roodepoort they were suprised and they say it’s medical aid requirement. Bestmed medical aid consultant who was assisting me was suprised and she told me they don’t need a doctor referral letter for vaccines

Please can someone assist as this is exposing my two sons to the danger of two outbreaks. Streamline your process and let it be clear to all your Dis-Chem officers. I will also escalate the matter to the medical council to seek clarity about their stance on referral letter . This will also be referred to medical aid council too to assist as I am caught in this red tape and my kids are at risk of contracting measles and I don’t know if the nurses are following the program correctly if they are both contradicting each other

I would have went to other pharmacies but if you look at my profile you will notice I prefer Dis-Chem pharmacy and hence I am fighting to get assistance before I move elsewhere. Look at my loyalty card you will notice how I spend

Warm Regards

See response from Dis-Chem you will notice they omit to answer about GP referral letter from GP

Dear T I trust you are well.

Thank you for bringing your complaint regarding your visit to our Cradlestone clinic to our attention.

We value feedback to provide the best customer service and patient care.

I have investigated your complaint by requesting feedback from the clinic, and reviewing the claim that was submitted.

I also reviewed your son’s consultation 20/06/2022.

I found that your son visited the clinic 20/06 for a Measles vaccine. At the time of the consultation, your son was 19-months old and required a catch-up dose of the 12-months Measles vaccine.

At 19-months of age, a child can receive either a monovalent (single strain) Measles vaccine or an MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine. It is, however, recommended that a child receives two monovalent Measles vaccines to provide optimum protection against Measles according to the vaccination schedule followed in South Africa.

A child can thereafter receive an MMR vaccine at any age.

With regard to the medical aid claim:

A medical aid claim for a vaccine cannot (by law) be submitted under a Registered Nurse’s practice number. As vaccines are scheduled medications, vaccines can only be submitted under the pharmacy’s practice number. Medical aid claims for vacc

We will engage with Bestmed medical aid to enquire why these claims have rejected, and will do our best to ensure that the correct information is given to patients.

We sincerely apologise for the fact that your claim rejected during your visit to the clinic. We take pride in our customer service, and it is not our wish that any of our patients are dissatisfied with the service received.

Thank you once again for bringing your complaint to our attention, and for your loyal support.

Should you have any additional feedback or enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you.

After todays consultation I emailed this again to Dis-Chem

Good day Ernst

I trust this email finds you well. Today I was at Dis-Chem cradle stone to vaccinate my 9 years old son after you guarantee me consistency among Dis-Chem. Today vaccine was for priorix SGL dose and Boostrix Tetra Pre-filled Syringe Adacel Quadra Prefill Syringe Adacel Vial 0.5ml Tetraxim Prefilled Syringe 0.5 Diptheria Pertussis Polio Tet****

Medical aid made provision for this two vaccines. What I find strange is your nurse (Phumzile )advice me about the co-payment of R23.80 only. When I get to the till the cashier include consultation fee for R130 which was not disclosed to me.

Check my profile you will notice when I use to pay in cash for government vaccines the consultation fee was the same amount I paid today. I see nurse did not submit Boostrix Tetra Pre-filled Syringe Adacel Quadra Prefill Syringe Adacel Vial 0.5ml Tetraxim Prefilled Syringe 0.5 Diptheria Pertussis Polio Tet**** vaccine to medical aid, meaning somehow I was forced to pay for the same free government vaccine when medical aid made provision for the same two vaccines and they could have been paid for under the medical aid.

The nurse (phumzile ) told me if I pay in cash for meningitis, chickenpox , Haemophilus Influenzae Type B, Twinrix Vaccine (so call schedule 4 medication ) I won’t need to consult the GP for script but if I consult with medical aid scrip will be required. The same was confirmed by nurse in Princess crossing. I wonder if this is a legal requirement by government or pharmacy is helping medical aid to reduce claims

I will escalate the matters to department of health, pharmacy regulator and medical aid regulator to help me with the problem I am facing. Since I have already brought this to your attention before I will be posting this on hellopeter including your response so that I can make other customers aware about the situation at hand and what I believe is ****************.

To the department of health I would like them to advice me if they know you charge customers and don’t submit claims to medical aid for customers who are on cover under medical aid for the same vaccine. This will also go to the medical aid regulator and pharmacy council.

I would like to know if the department of health in SA and medical aid regulator in SA and pharmacy council if they are aware you require medical doctor to supply scripts for the mentioned vaccines under schedule 4 but medical aid doesn’t require the same. However if the same schedule 4 vaccines are paid in cash by the medical aid holder the same letter is not required.

I encourage bestmed customers who have noticed the same discrepancy to report the same to medical aid regulator, pharmacy regulator and other responsible regulators

Warm regards