NO MERCY EVEN IF YOU ARE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE IN HOSPITAL

I’m writing this post with a helpless, broken and stressed heart. My family and I have been on discovery medical aid for almost a decade now, we were on the classic saver. I was in my teens when we had it. My father got retrenched and we were dropped off the medical aid plan. We survived a year without medical aid till I found a job pays 5000 every month. I got my parents on the medical aid last year August and it was a keycare Plan, i then changed it to Coastal Saver since my dad found a job and could assist me with premiums. I pay my whole salary for medical aid just to help my parents, they are getting old now and I watched my gran suffer and pass on in a terrible public hospital, I won’t let it happen to my parents. I don’t work for my own self. I work to support them. R6400 is our monthly premium. Dad helps with the remainder that I cannot fill in.

My mother fell ill on the 8th of August 2018. I rushed home from work and she was in so much pain, her chest was tightening and her back was in excruciating pain. I rushed her to kingsway hospital and she was admitted for lower respiratory tract infection - Pneumonia in both lungs. Her sugar levels were checked, temp, sugar was checked and the doctor on call sent her for an X-ray. He said he can’t let her go home she has to be hospitalized. I filled in many forms and my mother has been in hospital till this day.

I found that my medical savings was been drained, we went from 14k to 6k in a few days, I called up discovery and they keep saying she has a waiting period on diabetes and they need to review her stay in hospital, she cannot be authorized to be there. My mother didn’t come to hospital for diabetes. She has a very bad lung infection, they are doing ct scans, X-rays, blood tests, sending her to many specialists because her infection seems rare. They are doing so many different tests and discovery isn’t willing to pay!!!! I am sitting her crying because I don’t know where to get the money to pay for all these hospital fees once my medical savings plan goes down. My mother is still in hospital and doctor says she isn’t doing wel so he cannot discharge her. I always thought discovery would help their members, we pay so much for this medical aid and still th service is so poor. Every time I call they tell me that her hospital authorization is on standby. Many people have told me to change from discovery, and I kept saying that I will never do it because they have always been good to my family and I. I’m an only child to my parents and I’m trying my best to help. But getting them on discovery has heaped more hot coals on my head. I thought I would have nothing to worry about, I can be rest assured that my mom will be taken care of.

I will never tell anyone to take discovery again because they take my premiums very fast but when it’s time to assist their members, they couldn’t care less about their well being. I’ve never been so broken and stressed in my life. I hate seeing my mom so stressed because of this as well. She is fighting for her life and these people are worried about something that shouldn’t even matter. I’m so disgusted with discovery medical aid, they will NOT STAND WITH YOU WHEN YOU ARE SICK AND LYING IN A HOSPITAL BED EVEN IF YOU WERE TAKEN TO THE TRAUMA UNIT.

My mom goes to theatre tomorrow. And I’m sitting here stressed about this.

I made the biggest mistake of my life when I joined.

No mercy or compassion whatsoever. Only God knows how I will find the money to pay for everything. Unlimited hospitalization? Really???

Tired. Miss Sandalamo