why do you people charge a fee of 950 upfront?????

two nights ago my son(aged 4 ) had a temp of 39 degrees at 23:30, not sure of why his temp spiked i took him to wilgeheuwel hospital as it is the closest hospital to my place of residence.<br> i am on a top medical aid scheme on discovery and to my utter disgust, i was told by the staff in casualty that i need to pay 950 rand upfront if i wanted my son to be treated......how do you people expect us to have that kind of cash onhand mid month?????? the doctor on duty that night couldnt even write my son a script and didnt even check him to see if all was ok.<br> this is ridiculous as i pay a hefty amount of money towards medical aid for my 3 kids and myself ... now i ask myself what if i was in dire straits and this stupid hospital turned me away due to me not having 950 rand on me for medical treatment. <br> my next question is what is more important to health care providers - money or their patients well being????<br> flora clinic charges nothing up front so why the need for wilgeheuwel to do so???<br>