Medical aid if the worst happens

[CDK]

I was involved in an accident 7 weeks ago.  I messaged my wife when I left the Gautrain Station and usually it will take 15min to get home. This was at 19h00. At 19h12 she got a call from "fun cure medical services", truecaller, she ignored it. When they phoned again I was apparently on the line informing her that i had an accident. And on my way to the hospital.

 

I remember the guy hitting me, and nothing else.I somehow gave them my wife's number, i do not remember this. They asked me if i had medical aid, and my response was I dont know, they asked if i had insurance and my response was I dont know. They phoned my wife back to ask her. Due to company benefits we both have separate medical aids, she knows I am on  discovery but not my membership number. I changed insurance 2 months before the accident, luckily I told her. 

I can only remember from when I saw my wife at the hospital. 

 

My phone was stolen as well as the car battery in the few minutes it took the medical services to arrive. 

 

Now we both have a card with the others details on in our wallets, and Medical aid and insurance stickers on the car. My daughter is on my wife's medical aid, but i did not know the number, I also dont know my wifes ID number, she left for Egypt for a course the day i left hospital and if something happened to my daughter I dont know what i would have done.

I have an iceid, but only wear this when I am out on a cycle.

[Oufy MTB (Roadie)]

I have medical aid, when I crashed, I broke my arm, was 7:30am in the trauma unit of a private hospital, they worked on me at 10pm that evening. when I guy crashed on Table mountain and broke his shoulder, the government 4x4 ambulance was the first there. 

[Spoke101]

Any of you ever had that crash feature on your garmin work for you?

This weekend I was out riding the tandem, we were cruising down a hill at about 60 coming up to a robot. I had started braking to turn right at the robot and it went yellow so decided to stop and braked a bit harder. Came to a stop and I hear this siren, I initially thought it was the robot making a noise for a blind person but then looked down and saw a message on my screen saying accident detection and had all my wife's details on the screen. Gave me to option to hold the enter button for 3 seconds to cancel it. I cancelled it but would have been interested to see what happened if I didn't.

 

I've had my 520 do that a few times under heavy braking as well. The I remember having to press a certain sequence of buttons to stop it. I haven't actually tested the function though - the wife would seriously stress out - but also interested to know what it does.

 

It does work and I have had the displeasure of it happening twice after two crashes. The contact gets a message saying that you may have been involved in an accident and gives your coordinates. You can then still deactivate it on the device and it sends a second message saying that you are ok.

[Trance Dance]

I have medical aid, when I crashed, I broke my arm, was 7:30am in the trauma unit of a private hospital, they worked on me at 10pm that evening. when I guy crashed on Table mountain and broke his shoulder, the government 4x4 ambulance was the first there.

On the mountain, government EMS will generally get to you first. Whether by 4x4 or in many cases the helicopter. Don't need a medical aid for this either. In fact, because mountain rescue is free, if you are mtbing and you crash, mtn rescue should be your first call if you are seriously injured.

[ChrisF]

On the mountain, government EMS will generally get to you first. Whether by 4x4 or in many cases the helicopter. Don't need a medical aid for either. In fact, because mountain rescue is free, if you are mtbing and you crash, mtn rescue should be your first call if you are seriously injured.

 

uhm ja .....

 

PLEASE take a moment and go visit a complete stranger in ward F4 in Tygerberg hospital - orthopeadic ward.

 

Then go have visit a patient in a private hospital ....

 

 

 

Having friends and family in the medical field I can confirm the following :

- without medical aid you are going the government route ....

- if they dont know that you have a fracture, suspected sprain, then you go to Vincent Paloti or similar .... wait for many hours until you finally get an X-ray.  IF it is confirmed that you actually have a fracture the slow process starts to get you transferred to Tygerberg or Grootte Schuur.  (NOT nice when it is your granny suffering for 9 hours before finally being diagnosed with fractured hip, was way past 12 hours before she eventually got the most basic treatment) Once admitted you join the end of the line and it is many more hours until you finally get treatment.  You save a few hours if you have a clearly visible fracture ....  Speak to FrailK if you want the inside scoup on the processes ....

- with medical aid you can go straight to a private hospital .... where you are sadly at the mercy of the staff on duty !!  DAY time (WEEKDAYS), hey all the docs are  there and it goes smooth .... DONT for one second think private hospitals are sunshine and roses after 17:00 on a weekday .....  It borders on the criminal how some hospitals are understaffed after hours !!  It takes way too long until the "attending doc" finally gets to you, and then all he can do is phone the specialists on standby ...  But once past this horrid entry into the private sector you SHOULD get better care ..... but make no mistake, some scary stories of what happens in the private sector !!!!  Even a untrained wannabee "nurse", in fairness to proper nurses let me rather call this individual a medical assistant, that brought me a plate of food an hour before an operation, despite the "nul-per-mond" sticker - even after being reported she still did not understand why it was wrong.

 

 

all considered, SOME government medical staff are truly dedicated and do provide impecable service !!  Though overall the odd are not in the patients favour.  In contrast, at a private facility you are sorted as soon as you can actually get admitted .... 

[Trance Dance]

uhm ja .....

 

PLEASE take a moment and go visit a complete stranger in ward F4 in Tygerberg hospital - orthopeadic ward.

 

Then go have visit a patient in a private hospital ....

 

 

 

Having friends and family in the medical field I can confirm the following :

- without medical aid you are going the government route ....

- if they dont know that you have a fracture, suspected sprain, then you go to Vincent Paloti or similar .... wait for many hours until you finally get an X-ray. IF it is confirmed that you actually have a fracture the slow process starts to get you transferred to Tygerberg or Grootte Schuur. (NOT nice when it is your granny suffering for 9 hours before finally being diagnosed with fractured hip, was way past 12 hours before she eventually got the most basic treatment) Once admitted you join the end of the line and it is many more hours until you finally get treatment. You save a few hours if you have a clearly visible fracture .... Speak to FrailK if you want the inside scoup on the processes ....

- with medical aid you can go straight to a private hospital .... where you are sadly at the mercy of the staff on duty !! DAY time (WEEKDAYS), hey all the docs are there and it goes smooth .... DONT for one second think private hospitals are sunshine and roses after 17:00 on a weekday ..... It borders on the criminal how some hospitals are understaffed after hours !! It takes way too long until the "attending doc" finally gets to you, and then all he can do is phone the specialists on standby ... But once past this horrid entry into the private sector you SHOULD get better care ..... but make no mistake, some scary stories of what happens in the private sector !!!! Even a untrained wannabee "nurse", in fairness to proper nurses let me rather call this individual a medical assistant, that brought me a plate of food an hour before an operation, despite the "nul-per-mond" sticker - even after being reported she still did not understand why it was wrong.

 

 

all considered, SOME government medical staff are truly dedicated and do provide impecable service !! Though overall the odd are not in the patients favour. In contrast, at a private facility you are sorted as soon as you can actually get admitted ....

Agreed 100%

 

I was only referring to the EXTRACTION of a patient out of a wilderness area.

 

With regard to the rest of the medical treatment, yes, a medical aid is needed.