Midstream Mediclinic, BestMed and CureMed

A friendly warning to all Covid 19 patients! Do not be fooled by so-called sympathy and hospital staff who pretend to care. Do not believe everything that BestMed proclaims that they will fully assist you with the Covid pandemic. I would like to express my disappointment and dissatisfaction with the service and treatment I received from Midstream Mediclinic, BestMed and CureMed. My family doctor arranged in advance with Midstream Mediclinic that I be admitted to the hospital on December 15, 2020. After a great rush to locate the reservation, I was finally able to be admitted to an unprepared ward after about 2 hour’s waits. Why Midstream Mediclinic? The hospital is recommended on BestMed's list of Network hospitals and because it was the closest to me. I had to wait for a bed in the ICU section and the doctor who was assigned to me disappeared as she went on leave. In the ICU department, I was ordered to lie on my stomach because that's how they treat Covid 19 patients. I explained to the nurses and the doctor that I cannot sleep on my stomach as I had a back surgery (Vision) and it causes a tremendous pain in my back. The hospital staff did not want to listen to me at all and treated me aggressively until I pointed out the scars on my back to them. The time I spent in ICU was a nightmare. They would put a tube in my mouth and the side of my neck for two days to breathe better. But from the 17th to the 23rd of December, I was out of action and could not even speak and my hands were tied to the bed while I was lying on my back and could not move. When I rang the service bell, a nurse came by and said "I am coming". I was lucky that someone would show up after 30 minutes or even longer after that. Midstream Mediclinic was aware of the fact that all treatments and / or medications must be approved or authorized by BestMed in advance. During this period in ICU, the Physician prescribed Precedex medication which is only allowed for 24 hours with approval. However, the hospital continued with the medication which is prohibitively expensive and of which BestMed paid only 9 applications. Neither I nor my wife or BestMed gave permission for Precedex medication and the result is that the hospital holds me responsible for the cost of which amounts to R33,979. I have sent numerus emails to the hospital, to BestMed as well as to my brokers CureMed who were supposed to look after my interests. BestMed has confirmed to me in writing that I cannot accept responsibility for it nor do I have to accept liability for items that are overcharged or items for which the hospital has to bear the cost. Now BestMed and CureMed shrug their shoulders and confirm they can no longer help. So, do not expect any help from BestMed or CureMed. BestMed requested the hospital to write off the amount but the hospital refused. I was transferred to an admin ward after Christmas and they would then do a colonoscopy. Three days passed before I could get the result from a doctor. The service and response to the service bell was the same and I insisted to go home as I could not see the need to lie there any longer. I could not walk and the only person who really assisted me, was the physiothe******. Before I could go home, the hospital had to get approval from BestMed to rent an oxygen machine. For that, the hospital had to draw blood and send it to BestMed. A sister came to draw blood 3 times to submit to BestMed for approval. What became of the previous draws, no one knows? I was discharged on the first of January 2021 and only received a confirmation from BestMed a week later for approval of an oxygen machine for thirty days. Since I needed oxygen urgently, I was forced to buy my own oxygen machine which further plunged me into debt. Never before have I received such poor service and treatment from any hospital and cannot recommend any one of these entities at all.