EMERGENCY - Absolutely no help from Emergency number on Discovery Card - and now they only want to pay 80% of the bill - AFTER I WAS TOLD THAT THIS ADMISSION WAS AUTHORISED

<p>On Friday the 31st March my son tried to commit suicide. He was <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>unconscious and convulsing</strong></span>! I called the Emergency Number on my Medical Aid Card – ***. I got through to some guy and told him I had an Emergency and asked him which hospital I should take my son to. The response was: This is the Ambulance Services I will put you through to someone that can help you (<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>NOT CAN I SEND AN AMBULANCE FOR YOUR SON</strong></span>). And also please note, I was very emotional, as this is my son and he was lying in the grass unconscious and convulsing. He duly put me through to someone in PE. I told her I was in Walkerville and asked where the nearest designated provider Hospital was, to be told that she wouldn’t know as she was in PE. All this took about 5 minutes … now bear in mind <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>THIS WAS AN EMERGENCY</strong></span>. This call happened at exactly <strong>5.49pm. I want those taped conversations recalled in order for me to prove the Help and Service I got from Discovery.</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>I eventually ended the call and called our Community Policing Forum, that was at 5.55pm and was told take<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> him to the nearest Hospital as it was an Emergency and that they cannot refuse to Help</strong></span>.</p> <p> </p> <p>The lady at the desk of the Mulbarton Hospital spoke to the doctor in charge and was told he was not stable enough to be transferred and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>she then called Discovery for Authorisation</strong></span>. So as far as I am concerned, this was authorised until he was stable enough to be transferred to a Designated Service Provider.</p> <p> </p> <p>I was called in the morning to say that the Mulbarton had called Discovery and were going to transfer him to some place in Alberton, which was a Designated Service Provider. By then my son was awake and very agitated and refused to be transferred. He signed himself out before 12 noon.</p> <p> </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>I was called from the Mulbarton Hospital, first to tell me Discovery refused to pay this bill at all. And then I was called and told Discovery would pay for 80% of the Bill.</strong></span></p> <p> </p> <p>I would like to re-iterate that I am unemployed and barely manage to pay the R1800.00 per month just to be on a Medical Aid for emergencies such as these. But this is no help to me at all as I don’t know which hospitals are our Designated Service Providers and when you call you cannot be helped.</p> <p> </p> <p>I sent an email to claims asking them to send me a list of the Designated Hospital in our area and the email that the hospital sent to me. They only rep**** on the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>10.4.17 - P.S. I have now received a list and the closest Hospital to me is Garden City Clinic – which would take me anything from a 45 minutes to an hour to reach – depending on traffic! Totally unacceptable in an Emergency. NEIL VAN DER WALT - Ref: BCN ********** 3</strong></span></p> <p> </p> <p>I received a call from you, Suemeshnic, at 2:45pm on the 7th April, and even you couldn’t help me with the list of hospitals! Surely Discovery has a map of these hospitals in all the different areas.</p> <p> </p> <p>You were very nice, but that doesn’t help me.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> Can Discovery please assist with this shortfall as I have said before, I am unemployed</strong></span>, I can’t find a job, and cannot afford to pay the astronomical bills that have started coming in. This is the only reason I am on Keycare Plus –<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong> FOR AN EMERGENCY – WHICH SEEMS TO BE NO HELP AT ALL.</strong></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p>