Human Rights Day

21 March marks Human Rights Day in South Africa.  We celebrate Human Rights Day to honour the people who gave up their lives to ensure a democratic South Africa where the rights of all citizens are protected and guaranteed in the Constitution of South Africa.

Some of these human rights enshrined in the Constitution include the right to basic nutrition, shelter, social services and healthcare. The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) goes out of its way to make sure that its members, regardless of their race, age, gender or disability have access to quality healthcare, a basic human right.

Take for example, Ntombi Mkhize*, a GEMS member for the past two years, who has a hearing impairment that makes it difficult for her to communicate and perform daily tasks. Even something seemingly simple like making a doctor's appointment is a struggle for her. When Ntombi contacted the Scheme for assistance, GEMS stepped up to the plate to ensure that her fundamental right to healthcare was met. Consulting the Friends of GEMS network, the Scheme was able to find a GP close to Ntombi's workplace in Pretoria and set up an appointment for her, explaining her predicament to the doctor.

During her doctor's visit, it was discovered that Ntombi had high blood pressure and was in urgent need of treatment. The doctor, Dr DP van Zyl, went out of his way to ensure that Ntombi understood her medical condition by writing down clear instructions on how she should manage her blood pressure. Dr Van Zyl and his staff then contacted Medipost, GEMS' medicine dispenser and courier, to arrange for Ntombi's chronic medicine to be delivered to her doorstep. Medipost went a step further and offered the services of a sign language interpreter to make sure that she fully understood how to take her medicine, thereby ensuring that Ntombi's basic right to healthcare was met.

Another example of GEMS' commitment to making sure that South Africans receive quality healthcare, is the case of little Lenny Jantjies* who was only a few months old when he fell severely ill. His father Hendrik was a GEMS member, and had not been able to complete the paperwork for Lenny to be registered with the Scheme. This is because Hendrik suffers from a disability that hinders the use of his hands for everyday tasks like writing.

Given the fact that Hendrik was unable to fill in Lenny's membership forms due to his disability, Riana Strydom, client liaison team leader for Metropolitan Health, member services and claims administrator for GEMS, went well beyond the call of duty to ensure that Lenny got the treatment he so desperately needed. Contacting the hospital, she offered a personal guarantee that GEMS would cover Lenny's medical bills. In the interim, she ensured that his medical aid membership was speedily processed so that all his healthcare needs would be met in the future.

Historically, access to healthcare services in South Africa, as well as many other fundamental rights, has been skewed in terms of race, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation and disability. Lenny and Ntombi are just two examples of the many special South Africans GEMS has had the privilege of helping to reverse this trend. On Human Rights Day this year, we celebrate how far we have come as a nation and reflect on the work we still have to do to ensure that other people like Lenny and Ntombi can also enjoy their right to quality healthcare.

* Names changed to safeguard the privacy of Scheme members.