DISAPPOINTED

I have been diagnosed with Graves Disease.

It has been such a struggle for me with Bonitas .They rejected my application for chronic so many times that I had to pay out of my pocket for very expensive treatment before finally agreeing to put me on chronic after 2 different Doctors had to right motivations, of which the first was rejected. I currently have so much medical debt because the agents told me there is a different motivation that’s needs to be written by my Dr for the treatment, currently I’m constantly taking blood tests and seeing specialist doctors regularly and it’s all coming out of my pocket . I was told the motivation written by my specialist to be put on chronic was for the medication not the treatment, there needs to be a different motivation for the treatment.How ridiculous is that because they know that the condition comes with treatment.

When I was hospitalized in September at a network hospital due to the Graves’ disease , I accumulated debt from the hospital stay as I had seen a cardiologist who was not part of the network so the medical aid only paid a portion. When I enquired about it with Bonitas I was told I should have asked the Dr before he treated me.

Currently I’m hospitalized again in the same network hospital, I urgently need to see a neurologist and do tests as they are suspecting I have a condition called myopathy. I remembered this time to ask the neurologist whether or not they are part of the network which she advised that both the neurologists in this hospital are not.

When I called Bonitas I was sent from pillar to post by the agents, I spoke to an agent who said she will call me back but never did . I had to keep calling , When I eventually spoke to an agent she said I will be sent a list of neurologist when I asked if they can get one close to the hospital I’m in she told me there isn’t one. I was told I need to get a neurologist, my questions to them is how am I expected while I’m lying in a hospital bed to get another neurologist to come to this hospital. I requested that they find me one that can come here but I was told that it’s not for the medical scheme to do that.

I came to this hospital because it’s a network hospital and my physician is here who is also part of the network, Bonitas is not able to assist me while I desperately need their help, they have only sent me a spreadsheet with a list of Drs around jhb, my question to them is if all the doctors on that list are not willing to come to this hospital what is going to happen?! They told me straight that I will than have to pay for the difference of the neurologist that are here.

How is this ok or fair to treat people like this, how do you expect someone who is in hospital to be doing the run around trying to find a Dr. The is no effort from the medical aid to try and assist me, instead I have been left alone to fend for myself. I am very frustrated and stressed out which is also not good for my health! The whole situation is very disappointing.