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We’re all on medical aid, but we forget about it until we require urgent medical attention. Did you know that Medical Schemes offer benefits that we can use even when feeling our healthiest? Medical Schemes have long-focused benefits to ensure that members get cover when they require medical attention, from paying for doctors to covering hospital stays. These offerings have been improved in recent years to include preventive benefits which like the name suggests, are benefits that help aid in keeping members healthy and prevent possible medical issues that may arise from not having access to these benefits.

Preventative healthcare, therefore, empowers people to take a proactive approach to manage their health, providing far-reaching and long-lasting health benefits. It may also lower the amount of money or savings you spend on doctor’s visits and medication by preventing serious diseases before they occur. At Bestmed we have a number of preventative benefits suitable for members of all ages, and for this article, we will be focusing on some of the benefits that you should be using:

Female Contraceptives:

If you’re not trying to be a parent yet or not trying to expand your family, Bestmed has a contraceptive benefit for all our female members. The quantity and frequency are dependent on the product and subject to a maximum amount (R2 412 per beneficiary yearly). So go visit your doctor, find out which one works best for you, and we’ll cover it!

Pap Smear:

Annually there are about 5 743 new Cervical Cancer cases reported in South Africa, with around 3 027 associated deaths. Scary right? That’s why this benefit is important. A pap smear is a screening procedure for cervical cancer that tests for the presence of precancerous or cancerous cells on your cervix, including checking for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which we’ll discuss below in the vaccine section. At Bestmed, females over the age of 18 can get a pap smear for free once every 24 months. Find out more about this procedure from your medical doctor or from one of our designated network pharmacies (Clicks, Dis-Chem or Van Heerden). Prevention is always best.

Vaccines:

• Flu Vaccines – avoid the sniffles and sneezes throughout winter with this benefit available to all Bestmed members and you get your flu shot once a year during flu season. Just contact your nearest Bestmed network pharmacy (Clicks, Dis-Chem or Van Heerden) and make an appointment for your flu shot.
• Pneumonia Vaccines – with some reported COVID-19 cases leading to pneumonia infections and cases currently increasing daily, you’ll be pleased to know that Bestmed offers free pneumonia vaccines for adults where you can get two vaccines in your adult life and a booster after you turn 65 years old. Children get this vaccine as per the schedule of the Department of Health. 
• HPV Vaccines – females from the ages of 9-26 can get their HPV vaccinations and we allow up to three vaccinations per beneficiary. HPV vaccines protect against infection with the HPV which is a group of more than 200 related viruses of which some can be transmitted via direct sexual contact and can cause genital warts, and certain types of cancer (cervical, anal, oropharyngeal, penile, vulvar, and vaginal).  99% of cervical cancers are associated with HPV, so if you ever needed more reason to get the HPV vaccine this is it.
• Travel Vaccines - for all you globe trotters, plane hoppers, and summer chasers, Bestmed has a benefit for travel vaccines that is available on our plans (excluding Beat1). You can get cover for travel vaccines such as; Typhoid fever, Yellow fever, Tetanus, etc. and we also have International Travel Insurance in case your vacation gets too fun and you end up in hospital. You can read more about it here.

Preventative Dentistry:

As your smile keepers, Bestmed offers several preventative dentistry benefits for free on our plans (excluding Beat1). These are benefits are subject to pre-authorisation, clinical protocols, and funding guidelines. They include a general full-mouth examination by a general dentist (incl. gloves and use of sterile equipment for the visit), full-mouth intra-oral radiographs, fluoride treatment, and scaling and/or polishing. So, contact us and get your pre-authorisation to go get your smile renewed!

To find out about all the Bestmed preventive care benefits, you can visit the page on our website: https://www.bestmed.co.za/benefits-and-cover/preventative-care-benefits.