Delayed Emergency Authorisation & Shocking Service for Infant

On Friday, my 8-month-old son became seriously ill with a 39°C fever, persistent coughing, and inability to keep any food down. My husband took him to a Discovery network hospital at approximately 08:30.

We are on the KeyCare Core plan, and I understand that it has strict rules around day-to-day and casualty benefits. However, this was an **emergency involving an infant**, not a routine visit.

At the hospital, emergency staff immediately began treating him and advised that he required admission. Despite this, Discovery delayed authorisation.

I arrived at around 10:00, and my baby was still waiting in emergency. At 10:26 and 10:31, I received **declines stating that the admission did not meet requirements**, effectively suggesting we should have followed protocol and gone through a specialist first.

This is completely unacceptable. When an 8-month-old presents with a high fever, vomiting, and respiratory symptoms, immediate care is critical — not administrative delays. I understand this is a business, but when decisions and delays directly impact access to urgent medical care, **it puts lives at risk**.

I contacted Discovery to escalate, and the call was mishandled and disconnected during transfer.

Only at 10:37 was authorisation finally approved.

To make matters worse, Discovery then attempted to call me back at inconvenient times while I was dealing with my sick child. When I returned the call via the app, consultants were unable to efficiently access my details and still insisted on repetitive verification processes, showing a complete lack of urgency, empathy, and situational awareness.

My son has since been diagnosed with Parainfluenza Type 3, which can develop into bronchitis or pneumonia in infants. He is also currently under investigation for lung/thymus-related concerns, making any delay in care even more dangerous.

This entire experience reflects:

* A failure to prioritise an emergency involving an infant * Rigid enforcement of protocol over patient safety * Poor communication and call handling * A shocking lack of empathy and efficiency during a critical situation

I request:

* A full explanation for the initial decline of admission * Clarification on emergency admission protocols for infants under KeyCare * An explanation for the poor call handling and disconnection * Assurance that no parent will face delays like this in an emergency again

This experience has severely impacted my trust in Discovery’s ability to provide care when it matters most.