You are letting me die

I am writing to formally escalate a serious and increasingly urgent complaint regarding the ongoing issues I have experienced with Bonitas following my recent move from Discovery Medical Scheme to Bonitas.

My Bonitas membership number is ***.

When I joined Bonitas approximately three months ago, I specifically explained to the Askus Business Solutions sales team that my wife is diabetic and that continued access to her chronic diabetic medication was an essential requirement for us when considering a move from Discovery to Bonitas. We were assured that the appropriate chronic medication cover would be available and that there would be no issue maintaining her treatment.

Unfortunately, three months later, my wife is still struggling to obtain the required diabetic medication, and despite numerous calls, follow-ups and submissions, I have been unable to get this matter properly resolved.

Chronic medication issue

The process has been extremely frustrating and, more importantly, the ongoing delays are creating a serious medical concern for my wife.

We were not advised upfront that an HbA1c result would be required as part of the chronic medication approval process. After submitting the chronic medication prescription, I received no communication advising me that additional documentation was required. I only discovered this when I contacted the Chronic Department myself.

The required HbA1c results and supporting documentation were subsequently submitted immediately. More than a week passed without any communication or progress, requiring me to contact Bonitas again.

When I eventually called for an update, I was simply told that the person I was speaking to did not know what was happening. This is extremely concerning given that this relates to essential chronic medication.

I subsequently received a call from a representative named Nicole, who assured me that she would assist and email me so that I could respond with the valid HbA1c results and prescription. I was told that I simply needed to reply to her email with the required documentation.

Once again, no email was received.

I have exhausted every normal avenue of assistance

I have now gone far beyond what any member should reasonably be expected to do to obtain assistance.

I even went as far as lodging a complaint on HelloPeter in an attempt to get someone from Bonitas to take ownership of the matter. Despite doing this, nobody contacted me and nobody attempted to assist me.

I have contacted the sales team, the Chronic Department and the general enquiries teams repeatedly. None of these departments has been able to resolve the matter.

On numerous occasions I have specifically requested to speak to a manager or supervisor. Each time I have been told that the manager is "in a meeting" and cannot assist me.

This raises a very serious question: How bad does a member's situation have to become before someone at Bonitas takes ownership of the problem?

I have now reached the point where I have had to search for the CEO's email address simply because I cannot get assistance through the normal Bonitas channels.

That should not be necessary.

I should not have to escalate a medical and chronic medication issue to executive level simply to get someone to investigate why my wife's medication has not been properly dealt with after approximately three months.

During one of my calls with a consultant in the Chronic Department, I was particularly shocked by the attitude displayed. I was told that they could not assist me, and the consultant indicated that they did not care if I escalated the matter because they were not assisting me.

If this is an accurate reflection of how a Bonitas member can be treated when trying to obtain essential chronic medication, then I believe this requires urgent management investigation.

Membership suspension and payment issue

In addition to the chronic medication problem, I experienced a separate and extremely disruptive issue with my membership.

I was due to take my wife to the doctor, only to discover that my Bonitas membership had been suspended.

When I contacted Bonitas, I was advised that a payment was outstanding. My first payment was made by direct EFT because we had missed the relevant billing run. Proof of payment had already been provided to multiple departments, yet the payment had apparently not been captured on the system.

As a result, my wife was unable to attend her scheduled doctor's appointment.

After further calls and intervention, the payment issue was eventually resolved and the membership was reinstated.

This is another example of me having to repeatedly chase Bonitas to correct an issue that should have been resolved through the normal administrative process.

Impact on my wife's health

This is now much more than an administrative frustration.

My wife is diabetic and requires her medication as part of the ongoing management of her condition. Over the last three months, I have become increasingly concerned about the deterioration in her condition and the symptoms she is experiencing.

I am particularly concerned about increased nerve damage and numbness in her feet, as well as concerns regarding possible pancreatic complications. I am not making a medical diagnosis or claiming that every symptom is directly attributable to Bonitas' delays, but the continued interruption and difficulty obtaining her required medication is extremely concerning to me as her husband.

The consequences of uncontrolled or inadequately managed diabetes can be serious and can ultimately result in additional medical treatment, hospitalisation and significant costs.

What is particularly frustrating is that I have been paying my Bonitas premiums throughout this entire period while simultaneously having to spend thousands of rands of my own money attempting to obtain the medication privately because I cannot get the matter resolved through Bonitas.

I therefore have to ask:

What am I paying my medical aid premiums for if, when my wife needs essential chronic medication, I have to pay additional money out of my own pocket because nobody within Bonitas will take ownership of the problem?

Three months of unanswered calls and broken promises

For approximately three months, I have repeatedly been told:

Someone will call me back. Someone will investigate the matter. Someone will send me an email. Someone will assist with the chronic medication. A manager will deal with the issue. The matter will be escalated. Yet very little has actually happened without me repeatedly making another phone call.

I have spent an enormous amount of time trying to get assistance while watching my wife struggle with a medical condition that requires consistent treatment.

I would ask anyone reviewing this complaint to put themselves in my position for a moment:

If this were your wife, would you be satisfied watching her suffer while repeatedly being told that someone will assist, only for nobody to call back?

Would you accept being repeatedly transferred between departments, being unable to speak to a manager, receiving contradictory information and ultimately having to search for the CEO's contact details simply to get someone to listen?

I certainly do not.

Formal request for urgent investigation

I am therefore requesting that this matter be treated as a formal and urgent complaint and that it be escalated to an appropriate senior manager or executive who can take ownership of the matter.

I require the following:

Immediate escalation of my wife's chronic medication application. Written confirmation of exactly what documentation is still outstanding, if anything. Confirmation that all documentation already submitted has been received and correctly captured. Urgent assistance in obtaining the required diabetic medication. A written explanation as to why this matter has remained unresolved for approximately three months. An explanation as to why we were not informed upfront about the HbA1c requirement. An investigation into the handling of every previous call, submission and escalation relating to this matter. An investigation into why my payment and proof of payment were not correctly captured, resulting in my membership being suspended. An investigation into the conduct and service provided by the Askus Business Solutions sales team and the assurances given when we joined Bonitas. An investigation into the responses and conduct of the Chronic Department consultants I have dealt with. An explanation as to why I have repeatedly been unable to speak to a manager despite specifically requesting escalation. A specific senior person to take ownership of this matter and communicate directly with me until it has been completely resolved. A formal complaint reference number and confirmation of the escalation process from this point forward. I have tried resolving this through the normal Bonitas channels for approximately three months.

I have contacted the sales team.

I have contacted the Chronic Department.

I have contacted general enquiries.

I have requested managers.

I have submitted documentation.

I have provided proof of payment.

I have followed up repeatedly.

I have even lodged a complaint on HelloPeter.

Still, nobody has taken ownership of the problem.

I am now escalating this directly because I have exhausted the normal channels available to me as a paying member.

I joined Bonitas based on the representations made to me when I was sold the membership, specifically after explaining that my wife's diabetic chronic medication was a critical requirement.

I expect Bonitas to investigate not only the current chronic medication problem, but also the entire chain of events that has resulted in a member being left for approximately three months without a satisfactory resolution.

This matter now requires urgent attention. My wife's health cannot continue to be placed in the middle of an administrative process where different departments simply pass the problem from one person to another.

Please acknowledge receipt of this complaint urgently, provide me with a formal complaint reference number, and confirm the name and contact details of the senior person who will take ownership of this matter.