’There hasn’t been a confirmation of where the scheme will relocate its clientele, for me this is a life-and-death situation. Without treatment I die, that’s pretty much my reality right now, without dialysis my body will become so toxic I’ll die.’
HEALTH Squared Medical Aid Scheme informed its members on August 18 that it will cease operations on September 1.
The scheme’s official statement said: “It is critical that members are informed that the Scheme will be voluntarily wound up as a solvent business with assets that currently exceed liabilities.”
The statement goes on to say that “it is clear that the scheme’s financial position will deteriorate further, to the extent that towards the end of 2022 the Scheme will have reached such a low level of reserves that it may not be able to meet members’ claims as they arise.”
One of the scheme’s members, Sharon Waison, who was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in 2001 at the age of 10 and who will turn 31 this year, is in the battle of her life after being informed two weeks ago that her medical aid is closing.
This means that as of right now, she has no medical assistance to help with her three days per week of dialysis. She is one of many people who are in a life-or-death situation as a result of the medical aid’s liquidation.
Being someone whose lupus was diagnosed at such a young age, requiring doctors to begin her treatment with strong immunosuppressants like corticosteroids and chemotherapy drugs, her use of this medication from a young age and throughout her life has caused irreparable harm to her body and organs, particularly her kidneys.
In 2015, Waison was diagnosed with renal failure. She began compulsory hemodialysis treatment in 2017, three times a week. Initially, the dialysis treatments served their purpose, and she could continue her day-to-day activities.
“I’ve been on the top 50 list for a kidney transplant for at least about three years. It’s been a long wait since then. In 2015 I had issues with getting access for dialysis. I had about 13 operations on my arm just to try and find an access point to dialyze through,” Waison said.
Due to a blood-thinning medication that caused further complications, Waison was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in March 2021 with internal bleeding from an unidentified source.
Within a few days, her condition rapidly deteriorated, and the doctors warned her mother to prepare for the worst.
“My mom was told to call family and friends to come say their goodbyes. I was in a coma for four days,” she said.
When she woke up, she had lost all muscular movement and sensation in her forearms and hands. Doctors predicted that she would never be able to regain use of her hands.
Being a formidable fighter, she proved them wrong and had full functionality of both her hands within eight months. “I worked really hard to recover.”
“Funny enough, this year I ended up in ICU on what was supposed to be my death anniversary,” she said.
The financial implications from medical bills for the last two years have exhausted the medical aid funds of her mother Vanessa Waison’s policy.
They have been left with a combined and substantial hospital bill of over R550,000 for 2021 and R250,000 for 2022.
She requires specially imported filters for each dialysis session (costing approximately R15,000 per filter). Sharon has experienced many painstaking complications.
“It’s not nice to hear that your medical aid is closing, especially for someone like me. My doctor has been trying to get me to dialyse at Helen Joseph, but there’s an approximately two-week waiting period,” she said.
Waison says her doctor told her: “With 0% kidney function, you don’t have a week, let alone two weeks; you’ll die.”
“It’s unfair that we received notice that the medical aid scheme is ceasing operations in less than two weeks to find alternatives of where we can go.
“There hasn’t been a confirmation of where the scheme will relocate its clientele, for me this is a life-and-death situation. Without treatment I die, that’s pretty much my reality right now, without dialysis my body will become so toxic I’ll die.
“My doctor is doing everything she can to help. She has been in contact with the Fourways Life board about performing dialysis pro bono for at least a month or two until my medical insurance is sorted. I’ve been receiving daily dialysis in that hospital for the past five years,” she said.
As her body and energy levels have declined, she has had to give up her passion for playing online games and competing at a professional level.
“My mother is overwhelmed by the mounting medical debt. Due to my frequent hospital visits, I am unable to work. We rely on medical aid because I’m too sick to work,” she said.
