Summer is here: Ten healthcare tips for holiday-makers.
With the holiday season around the corner, healthcare considerations are often centered on packing the right sunscreen! There are, however, a couple of important health-related issues to consider before hitting the road. In this article we will unpack those, and provide some useful guidance to deal with such issues.
Remember to pack your medical scheme card.
At this time of the year many medical scheme members may have limited money left in their medical scheme savings accounts. However, having your medical scheme card with you on holiday is important as the cost of treating the so-called PMBs (Prescribed Minimum Benefits) cannot run out, i.e. your medical scheme always has to cover the costs associated with these conditions.
PMB conditions include a number of important chronic conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes. The PMBs also include all emergency conditions, which may be important if you are travelling, or undertaking some adventure that may entail some element of risk.
- Remember to take special health precautions when travelling to malaria areas in South Africa and into other African countries.
Your doctor or travel clinic should provide you with the options available for malaria prevention. You are entitled to know the:
- benefits (for example the effectiveness and level of protection offered),
- risks (side-effects, such as dizziness, etc) and
- cost of each option.
Remember that, after visiting some countries, you may need to show a yellow fever vaccination chart to re-enter South Africa, or to enter other African countries.
Speak to your healthcare professional, and make sure you get all the information you need to provide the best protection for your health. Because not all pharmacies always keep stock of such medication, visit your doctor or travel clinic early enough, so that there is time for the medication to be ordered.
- When seeking medical care from a doctor you do not know.
During the holiday season, your regular doctor may be on leave, or you may need to consult a doctor in the town or city where you are on vacation. You have to provide the doctor or other healthcare professional with accurate hea
lthcare information, in order to assist him/her to treat you in the best possible way. Tell him/her if you are on any medication or other treatment, and what the medication is. Also state whether there are any family related health problems (e.g. a parent who has specific health problems) and your own health history. As with any healthcare professional, diagnosis and treatment can only commence once you have provided your informed consent to such diagnosis or treatment.
Remember that this other doctor or healthcare professional is as much bound by the legal requirement to keep your information confidential, as your regular healthcare professional is. This means they cannot share this information with anyone else without your written consent. However, if you want an account sent to your medical scheme, such account may contain a diagnosis and treatment code, which is needed by the scheme and authorized by law. This code indicates the specific disease or illness you have, so that the scheme will know whether the condition is covered by your medical scheme option.
After your return, you may want your regular healthcare professional to know what medical treatment you have received during your holiday. You are entitled to a copy of the file the other healthcare professional opened for you, and that practice may require you to pay for the photocopying costs. Your regular healthcare professional may also request a copy of that information from the other professional, but only with your written consent.
- Take your chronic medication prescription with you.
Even if you feel you have enough chronic medication left, take a copy of your prescription with you on holiday. This means that if, for example, your luggage gets lost, you will be able to fill your prescription at a pharmacy at your holiday destination. You can obtain a copy of your prescription at your regular pharmacy. If you travel overseas and the medication in your possession is queried by customs officials, you will have proof that it is prescribed medication.
Sometimes medical schemes require that chronic medicine application forms be completed before you can access chronic benefits. Ask your doctor to do this before you go on leave, as you do not want to be faced with large out-of-pocket payments for chronic medication when you are on holiday.
- Fees charged at pharmacy level.
Note that, although the so-called Single Exit Price (SEP) of a medicine is fixed (i.e. you should pay the same SEP for your medicine at your South African holiday destination than in your home town or city), pharmacists charge varying levels of dispensing fees (the percentage charged by the pharmacist as a professional fee for stocking the medicine, and for dispensing it to you). This means that you may pay slightly more, or even less, than you normally pay for your medication.
- Renew your medical scheme membership before going on holiday.
Make sure that your medical scheme membership is renewed for the next year. This means that you have chosen to stay on your current medical scheme option, or might have chosen a new option. This decision will have financial implications, and you have to make sure that, on 1 January 2010, all the right amounts will be deducted. If anything goes wrong, the scheme may not be liable to pay for any healthcare events that happen on 1 January or thereafter.
If you have planned to join a different medical scheme, make sure that you resign, and sign up with a new scheme, within 3 months. Failing to do so, may mean that the new scheme may place certain waiting periods on you and your family, and that certain conditions will not be funded during such waiting periods. Before resigning and joining a new scheme, find out exactly what waiting periods are imposed, and for how long.
- Take out travel and health insurance if you plan to go overseas.
Not all medical schemes cover their members when they go overseas or travel into the rest of Africa. Take out good travel insurance that includes health cover and, if you are visiting more remote areas, emergency evacuation insurance is essential.
- Have contact details handy.
Make sure you have spoken to family members as to who will consent when any member of your family becomes ill, and are unable to consent to medical treatment. You have to discuss issues such as who will consent (you may need to write this down and keep a copy safe with a non-travelling family member) and what your wishes are in terms of healthcare.
Keep contact details of family members not travelling with you in your purse and one other safe place, so that they can be contacted in an emergency, or so that you can contact them if you need to and have, for example, had your handbag stolen.
- Thinking about the unthinkable…
Although we do not want to plan around bad things that may happen, rape or assault is a reality in South Africa. If this happens to you, or a family member, it is important to seek medical attention. Best advice always is to report the crime, and that means you have to undergo a physical examination at a health facility. For a successful prosecution, evidence is needed of your injuries and a form is completed to document this. If you do not remember all the details of the attack immediately, it is in order – you can always contact the authorities later again. Most importantly, even if you feel you are fine, it is advisable to seek counseling from a professional. Healthcare staff may be able to recommend someone, if you are not in your home town.
In the case of rape, it is very important you are provided with medication that will assist in preventing HIV transmission, and that you go for an HIV test, and have a repeat test within a period of time set by the healthcare professional. You may also want to take medication to prevent pregnancy. These types of medications are called “post exposure prophylaxis” or “PEP”.
- Enjoy!
Lastly, do not forget to enjoy the holiday season. Spend time with the people you love. Read that good book for which you have not had time. Rest … and return home, safe and refreshed!
Written by Elsabé Klinck from Benguela Health.
The information contained on this page expresses the views of the author and may not necessarily represent the views of Pfizer.
Ref: 19-PAPA-11-09-WS
