LM
Lesley M

1 reviews | Active since Sept 2016

25 Oct 2023, 12:10

Medical Schemes, it's all about the money, PMB conditions and the member mean nothing

My son has a severe allergy towards bees, which has been registered with Profmed as a PMB condition. Imagine my disappointment when they refused to pay his emergency hospital bill from the PMB section because they say that they only pay PMB conditions if you are admitted into the hospital, and they can't understand why I was upset that it was paid from our PPS wallet. However, the very nature of his PMB condition means that he probably would never be admitted into hospital, as he is stabilised in A&E and then sent home. Now they say that the EpiPen has a generic and that we should use the generic otherwise they won't pay. We had to wait months with an expired EpiPen before the new Epipens were released. I got authorisation for the EpiPen and Profmed agreed, but now they say it's not generic. So, must my son run around school with a glass vile of adrenaline and a loose syringe because the EpiPen has a generic? Then to top it off, my son developed another PMB condition, arythmia of his ventricles due to the previous anaphylactic episode. He needs to take a very specific medication which was prescribed by a heart SPECIALIST after evaluating my son. Now Profmed says that we need to take the generic when my son is also highly allergic to all kinds of medication and foods and the SPECIALIST specifically said that he must NOT use the generic. I sent this information through to Profmed and they rep**** with alternative suggestions of generic medication that my son should exchange for his heart medication, also stating that he should reduce the dose. I am so disgusted with the blatant disrespect Profemd has shown towards the Heart Specialist's status and knowledge. This specialist has been in the industry for many years and a pencil pusher is dictating what medication should or should not be used. Profmed is not the specialist, they have not evaluated my son, they have not listened to the history and should have no right to DICTATE what my son should or should not be using, you have NO IDEA what my son has been through and the stress he has experienced this year. Now you want to add to the stress by changing the medication that could potentially cause another anaphylaxis if he is allergic to the medication, which is ONLY the GENERIC, and as such has not gone through the 20 years of trials and tests, making it less reliable than the original medication which the SPECIALIST has been using and getting good results with, for years. I trust my doctor as he is the SPECIALIST. How dare Profmed undermine the medical profession with such disrespect. I have had endless troubles since joining this medical aid. The one medical scheme seems to be worse than the other, and all they are interested in is that medication should cost less, and not what's best for the patient. This has been blatantly clear this year, that the member means nothing to the medical schemes.

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Replies (1)
Profmed Medical Scheme
Profmed Medical Scheme's reply26 Oct 2023, 09:20
Official
Hi Lesley, we are really sorry to hear you feel this way. We will escalate your complaint to our team immediately and one of our consultants will reach out you.