Private Health Insurance Saves Kidney Patient Lives

Dialysis treatment being denied to more people at public hospitals Only people with private health insurance receive dialysis treatment at private hospitals.

As the demand for utilities and resources grows in the South African medical industry, more and more kidney patients are being turned away from life-saving dialysis treatment - without which they will die.

Kidney patients are having their treatment rationed, with medical committees having to make the unenviable choice of who will live and who will not.

Only those South Africans who have private health insurance are able to receive dialysis treatment at private hospitals.

As the ratio is only one in five patients who have private health insurance, the number of kidney patients seeking public health assistance is much greater.

Sadly, four out of five patients are turned away for treatment at Tygerburg hospital, while a similar proportion is denied dialysis at Groote Schuur.

Recently, provincial health officials, ethicists and medical staff got together to develop official guidelines to determine just how patients are chosen for treatment - and which are denied it.

"The main thrust of this was to be fair and equitable and transparent," said a kidney specialist at Tygerburg, Dr. Rafique Moosa.

Things that stood in a patient's favour to receive dialysis - before the new guidelines - included no active substance abuse (which would automatically exclude the person), 'good home circumstances' (such as running water, electricity and a toilet) and no criminal record.

Unfortunately, many of South Africa's poor often do not answer positively to some of these criteria, especially the part about running water and electricity, through no fault of their own.

As such, it is hoped that changes can be made soon in order to save more lives and expand the possibilities for all South Africans.