The need for primary healthcare

Our healthcare plans are designed to specifically address the issues of essential needs and affordability.

Approximately 9 million of the total population of 58 million people are currently covered by medical schemes or about 15% of the population. The reason for the low take up in the medical scheme environment is two-fold – firstly, medical schemes are prohibitively expensive and secondly, medical schemes cover largely in-patient hospitalisation benefits as opposed to primary healthcare benefits.

View our Primary Healthcare plans by choosing either Individual or Groups

Groups (*Indicative Rates*)


  • PRIMARY CARE
  • From R339
  • /month

  • Primary Healthcare Products
DOWNLOAD BROCHURE
JOIN NOW
 

  • HOSPITAL CARE
  • From R187
  • /month

  • Hospital Care products
DOWNLOAD BROCHURE
JOIN NOW
 

Individuals


  • PRIMARY CARE
  • From R410
  • /month

  • Primary Healthcare Products
DOWNLOAD BROCHURE PRIMARY PLAN C
JOIN NOW
 

  • HOSPITAL CARE
  • From R192
  • /month

  • Hospital Care Products
DOWNLOAD BROCHURE
JOIN NOW
 

Our Product Focus

Our product focuses largely on primary healthcare plans which includes access to general practitioners, essential medicines for both acute and chronic conditions, diagnostic services such as pathology and radiology, basic and emergency dentistry, optometry, health screenings and pre-birth maternity benefits. Hospitalisation benefits for accidents and emergencies are also included in line with the provisions of our Constitution which states that no person shall be refused treatment for these benefits, whether in a private or public setting.

Primary healthcare is preventative in nature and reduces healthcare and morbidity costs in the longer term. Individuals will enjoy a better state of health and have greater knowledge and awareness of how to better deal with an injury or illness. Employers should benefit from having a lower rate of absenteeism, better productivity and lower employee benefit costs in the longer term.

Unity Health has estimated that there are about 19.8 million people who do not have medical scheme coverage and where at least one person in the family has a job. This is more than double the amount of people currently on medical scheme coverage.

Target population 19.8 Million South Africans not covered

Our Target Population

19.8 million South Africans are not covered on a medical scheme
  • Principles
  • Spouses / Partners
  • Children

Covered

8.9 million people have existing medical scheme membership

  • Principles
  • Spouses / Partners
  • Children

*References: Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Quarter 2, 2018 as published by Statistics South Africa. CMS Annual Report 2015 -2016.

Socio-Economic Benefits

Creating access to private primary healthcare coverage for these 19.8 million people has significant socio-economic benefits to the people of South Africa. These include:
  • Better quality of care and overall well-being for these individuals.
  • Better quality of care to the remaining uncovered lives as the public sector will have less people to service with the existing infrastructure.
  • With greater access to care, patients will not need to spend time in queues at public facilities. This leads to an increase in productivity and profitability to employers.
  • Primary healthcare is preventative in nature and results in a reduction in long-term healthcare costs. This will lead to a reduction in employee benefit costs in the longer term.
  • As the private healthcare sector expands, a significant number of jobs are created in the healthcare and other sectors. As this process gains momentum, GDP and tax revenues increase.
  • The expansion of private primary healthcare will encourage ongoing investment into the private healthcare sector leading to continuous advancement in the quality of care – to the benefit of all South Africans.