Service providers not paid timeously

I am a long-standing Sizwe Hosmed member with a registered chronic condition managed under a Care Plan. I have been a member since 2008, and even prior to that, I was a member during my employment with Sizwe Hosmed. In all these years, I have never experienced the level of difficulty we are currently facing with service providers. Over the past few months, the pharmacy responsible for delivering my urgent chronic medication has informed me that they will no longer deliver my medication until payment has reflected in their account. Merely seeing an approved or paid claim is no longer sufficient, as they state that Sizwe Hosmed payments can take up to six weeks to reflect in their account. The most recent claim was submitted on 24 December 2025, and as of 19 January 2026, the funds have still not been received. As a result, I am now without medication and unable to take my prescribed treatment. While Sizwe Hosmed places significant emphasis on member compliance, this situation effectively forces members into non-compliance through no fault of their own. This is deeply concerning, distressing, and frankly humiliating for members who depend on uninterrupted access to chronic medication. The situation we have encountered in the past few months lends credence to the article on News24 and is an even greater cause for concern. Furthermore, Sizwe Hosmed's member portal has not been operational since the new year began so we are unable to monitor our benefits and claims. This is most disappointing.