Humiliation by Dis-****! Hospital Authorisations: auth no.: D***

What a humiliating experience, with no regard for human life or customer service!

My father has had this policy for years. Initially, it was stated that it covers all medical emergencies except for planned procedures.

Earlier this year, we received an update stating that heart attacks and strokes were no longer covered. However, when my father had a medical emergency, we called to report that he was struggling to breathe and received authorization to take him to the hospital.

Upon arriving at Fourways Life Hospital, they could not retrieve the authorization. They contacted Dis-Chem Health, who then issued another authorization for casualty.

After assessment, the doctor determined that my father needed to be admitted due to a chest infection. The hospital moved him to a ward while requesting admission authorization. However, we were then informed that Dis-Chem had rejected the admission—despite the fact that my father was not suffering from a heart attack or stroke, which were the only conditions excluded in the policy update.

We were forced to leave the hospital in the early hours of the morning with a critically ill patient, desperately searching for a public hospital.

The worst part is that when I contacted Dis-Chem via phone and email to understand why the admission was rejected, I was suddenly told that there was no record of an admission authorization request. Now, the burden is on me to prove that the request was made. I was informed that at night, calls are routed to Netcare, and I must now follow up with them—despite not being a Netcare customer.

I fail to understand how the casualty authorization requested by the hospital was recorded, yet the admission authorization, also requested by the hospital, is now missing.