South Africans belonging to Bonitas, Fedhealth, GEMS, Polmed & Nedgroup* are encouraged to make use of AfroCentric’s home-based care option, in an effort to help contain the spread of Covid-19
* Full list of medical schemes in editor’s notes
Johannesburg, December 2020 — The significant rise in Covid-19 numbers in both the Eastern and Western Cape, alongside the new reports of super spreader events in KwaZulu-Natal, is cause for concern, especially as South Africa heads into the festive season. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize this week confirmed that South Africa’s ‘second wave’ of Covid-19 infections is upon us.
As people travel across the country to spend the festive season with their loved ones, so the chances of transmission increase exponentially. Likewise, the chance that authorities will need to more broadly re-introduce some of the recently eased restrictions is also increasing, as we have seen happening in Nelson Mandela Bay, with hospitals in both the public and private sectors take strain with the rise in COVID admissions.
This is according to Dr Lungi Nyathi, Managing Executive for Clinical Risk and Advisory at Medscheme, South Africa’s largest health risk management service provider and a subsidiary of JSE-listed AfroCentric Group.
“Medscheme’s view of private sector hospital admissions across the country confirms that the Eastern Cape is currently experiencing a resurgence of Covid-19 positive admissions, in particular in Port Elizabeth, and, to a lesser extent, in East London. Western Cape admissions are also starting to increase, especially in the metropole of Cape Town and in Knysna,” says Dr Nyathi. “This and the recent news from KZN of super-spreader events being held does not help us flatten the increasing curve.”
Noting the concerning rise in positive Covid-19 test results, Dr Nyathi says that both public and private sector hospitals are affected by the pandemic, and that strain on the hospital system is one of the most concerning aspects of a second wave.
The private sector has a responsibility to do what it can to assist the strained healthcare sector as a whole, and anything that can be done to relieve pressure on strained hospitals is a win all round, says Dr Nyathi. Medscheme worked very closely with provincial government in several provinces to set up systems that enable care to be provided to patients across the sectors, as is required and it is likely that we will need to rely on these again now.
Alternative care options key to reducing healthcare system strain
Members of medical schemes administered by Medscheme* are strongly encouraged to make use of the company’s home-based care offering, referred to as Hospital-at-Home (HaH), as an important action to help alleviate strain on hospitals, says Dr Nyathi.
The HaH solution – which had been in the works well before Covid-19, but whose roll-out timeline was expedited as a result of the pandemic – facilitates 24-hour patient treatment and monitoring from a patient’s home. It is being delivered in partnership with Quro Medical, a black-owned South African digital health company.
HaH brings the essential elements of in-hospital care in the patients’ home, including clinical care, evidence-based protocols and advanced vital sign monitoring. Patients are monitored wirelessly, automatically, and continuously, to ensure early identification of any significant clinical change or deterioration.
“Hospital-at-Home is an alternative to general ward hospital admission,” says Dr Nyathi. “But, more than this, Quro Medical offers patients an opportunity for earlier and safer relocation to their homes than would otherwise be possible. In the context of Covid-19, this frees up much-needed hospital space and resources, and also reduces the risk of transmission that may occur in a hospital.”
Medscheme has made it a priority to get doctors in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole signed on to the HaH network as rapidly as possible, as the second wave of Covid-19 bites. The company is also engaging with its network of GPs across South Africa to volunteer time in Port Elizabeth to relieve providers there.
“In the past week, at least 10 patients have used HaH as an alternative to hospital admittance. This means hospitals had 10 more beds than they would otherwise have had at a time when hospital bed space is critical,” says Dr Nyathi.
Broader home-based care is a strategy that will become even more critical in the coming years, in its various forms.
Reducing red tape when hospital admission is required
To help avoid an overload on any one hospital’s facilities, Medscheme has proactively approached its member medical schemes to facilitate temporary overrides of existing hospital networks, to ensure timeous care for any members who are not able to use HaH and do require admission in the Eastern Cape. “Further, we are engaging with our doctor networks to mobilise across provinces to try and alleviate the strain that healthcare providers are experiencing,” says Dr Nyathi.
Mask-wearing, adequate hand hygiene, cough etiquette and avoiding crowded spaces remains critical to fighting Covid-19”, she explains, stressing that it is important that members use mobile platforms for engaging with providers or do not seek care for non-urgent matters, as this places additional strain on the health facilities and system.
“We are confident that, having gained extensive experience in the past eight months, our operational teams are equipped to deal with a second wave. The biggest concern with the first wave of Covid-19 was all of the unknowns, and changes in business practice and funding rules. We feel that Medscheme is well-poised to adequately deal with and react to any second wave realities.
“While we are not certain of what lies ahead, what we can assure you that Medscheme is actively involved and facilitating the rapidly evolving developments on all Covid-19 fronts, to ensure ongoing uninterrupted quality healthcare to all members,” concludes Dr Nyathi.
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