Private hospitals and specialists are apparently refusing to treat vehicle crash victims under the Road Accident Fund’s (RAF) undertaking certificates because of the lengthy delays in getting their bills settled, reports The Citizen.
The undertaking certificate is part of the compensation awarded to successful claimants, allowing them to receive medical treatment from specialists, with the healthcare providers submitting invoices to the RAF for payment. But delays in reimbursement have become so notorious that they are now wary of taking on the patients.
Some patients pay out of their own pockets and submit their claims to the RAF, which is supposed to refund them – but this can take up to two years in some cases. Those who can’t afford to pay upfront have to seek treatment at public hospitals.
Ricardo Solomon from Gauteng, who was involved in an accident in 2016, recently spent three nights sleeping in his wheelchair at a public hospital waiting for medical attention for his badly injured leg because private doctors and institutions refused to tend to him.
“The court ruled in my favour almost a year ago, but I am still waiting for the payout,” he said.
After the accident 10 years ago, Solomon was unable to continue working as a boilermaker, and is still battling complications from his injuries, while financial difficulties have made it difficult to afford medication and support his family.
Solomon said doctors had recently diagnosed arthritis in his injured leg, with the pain extending to his hip and back. He said accessing treatment at public hospitals was an exhausting challenge.
“When I go to a government hospital, I spend the whole day there. Even if I arrive at 5am, I leave at 6pm,” he said.
Solomon is scheduled for a follow-up medical appointment on 25 November, but going from Heidelberg to Boksburg Hospital is an additional financial burden.
He said his condition had deteriorated to the point where doctors at a government hospital recommended amputating his leg.
The Citizen has seen e-mails in which an RAF senior manager summoned the official handling Solomon’s case to explain why his payout was delayed.
The Citizen article – Rough ride for RAF claimants as hospitals refuse treatment (Open access)
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