Both GPH, Bokamoso hospitals have issues with BOMAID
Staff Writer | Monday August 24, 2015 15:27
While Bokamoso and BOMaid recently issued media statements announcing that BOMaid members will now be required to deposit funds prior to treatment, the Monitor on Friday found that the deposit system for BOMaid members had been implemented by GPH more than 10 years ago. Bokamoso is only following the GPH example now.
The Monitor investigations found tha GPH requires BoMaid members to deposit P4600 for a woman checking in for normal delivery and P5000 for a woman checking in for caesarean delivery.
But that is not all, the BoMaid member at GPH, may have to incur extra costs such as P1500 for the gynaecology services, P600 the baby fee, and P1500 for nursery fee for three days, if the private specialist doctors at the GPH are also found to have issues with BOMaid, according to The Monitor findings.
Interestingly, the GPH has a special relationship with Botsogo medical aid company whose members do not pay a thebe for their medical requirements, The Monitor found out after three reporters phoned the hospital as pregnant women in need of delivery and men in need of surgery. In the case of GPH, the BOMaid member would then be refunded the difference after BOMaid had paid the hospital.
A press statement from Bokamoso indicate that the hospital has been experiencing difficulties in having Bomaid pay for their members on time, while in most cases BoMaid would not honour the full bill, resulting in Bokamoso Hospital having to chase after the individual BoMaid members to settle the difference which are often as high as 20 percent of the hospital bill, The Monitor found out.
The Bokamoso release says the hospital experience challenges after treating the BoMaid member. Upon billing the BoMaid, Bokamoso says they would later be told that such a medical procedure or care offered are not covered by the medical aid scheme, or that the patient had insufficient insurance for the medical attention.“An additional issue experienced is the slow settlement of the hospital accounts by BoMaid and this, just as is the case with any other business, may potentially have negative implications,” says the Bokamoso statement.
However Bokamoso says their latest stance against BoMaid does not affect their existing hospital policy of treating any critically ill patient who presents at the accident and emergency unit irrespective of deposit.
A call to Bokamoso however revealed that the hospital has a flexible payment plan for individual BoMaid members who can negotiate settling their accounts in instalments.