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Posted

This is wat gets me.

Most people work and they have to work.

some work long hours as well. Nurses works 12hr shifts and has to deal with the s&*t of doctors and the patient  and I am sure they atre not driving luxury vehicles.

 There are people that work long and hard physically and do not earn a lot.

If you spend money on luxuries that is you problem.

Most people dont choose to get sick. . . it happens. In most cases they have control over it. So if you want deent care  . . pay up or get a quote???

It is a great honour and a privilage to become a doctor.

and it is choice you make to beocme one it is not frced upon you.

If it was not worth it for doctors to be in private practice they will not be there. If your runnig cost is Nothern suborbs are so high for example  .  whya re you there? A doctor will not have a practice where it is not going to be beneficial for him/her.

 

 

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Posted

I am amazed that during this ranting and raving the costs involved in servicing your bike have not been mentioned much...they are rediculous. That is why so many hubbers service themselves.

 

I cant understand why you can complain about a medical bill from a specialist when you are prepared to pay R500 on a meal out/ R 350 for a bike service/ more for a bike than most people in SA earn in a year/ R4000 for entry into a stage race...

 

Another point forgotten here is that Drs have huge debtors books, as medical aids and patients refuse to pay/delay paying.

I heard a Dr being asked for a discount once, by a very wealthy businessman...the Dr agreed to the 50% reduction that was being asked, and offered 50% of his experience and expertise during the operation. The businessman agreed to the original rate!

I agree that you need to discuss the fee before your consultation/operation...as you would before you checked your beloved bike into your LBS for a service.

 

 
Posted
  Quote
Henri,

Did the consultation include an ultrasound and a PAP smear - the ultrasound alone would probably account for about 400 of the consultation of which a part will go for repayment of the ultrasound machine.

 

My wife had our 2nd son recently and to me (I'm a simpleton) but the ultrasound takes 15-20mins and we still have to pay R900?

 

I understand that doctors study for a min of 6yrs (my sister in law tried to get into med school, and she's an ILS paramedwell as my brother in law) But as a motor mechanic I studied for 4 yrs and I can't charge R900 for a 15-20min checkover of a vehicle...To be a mechanic of any sorts costs a lot more than a doctor as we have to buy our own tools and toolboxes which over the last 12years Istill don't have allthe tools I need. As I understand it an ultrasound machine (for eg) has to be owned by the doctor but the surgery tools (scalpels and the like) are covered under the hospital bill...

 

Maybe I'm out of line...
Posted

Just reading back, yes doctors work long hours, and sometimes when qualifying in some dodgy places, but so do a lot of us, as an appy I had to clean out the used oil sumps in the workshop, sweep the floors before and after work, get covered in clutch and brake dust (itches like a MOFO), as well as pulling a few 18-20hr days - especially when I was restoring classics...

Posted

Personally I think that there's a perception out there that as soon as you have those magical letters after your name then you can charge what you like and everyone must just suck it up. Perhaps this is a bit juvenile of me, but when I'm doing work for a doctor (or lawyer) I hike my prices right up, in some instances nearly double when the guy is being arrogant. What I find interesting is that docs and lawyers never ever complain about my prices or ask for a discount (unlike everyone else)... seems they are the only one who can afford me!

Posted

A classic dead end. Nobody wins. The service provider feeling that the service is underrrated by the public and the public feeling that the service provider is overrating the service he provides.

(Most less informed actually think that the doctor should provide a free service. Like some or other bullsh*t television story.) 
Posted

I am shocked how few people know how NPRL and doctors fees work. 

 

PLEASE do not switch to a more expensive fund if you want it to pay higher NPRL fees.  There is a product called GAP cover.  It pays the gap between what your medical aid pays out and the specialist charges.

 

Cost - R 100-00 for a family. 

 

R 100-00 extra a month and you can you can actually go down to a cheaper fund that pay 100% of nprl prices as the GAP cover pays up to 400%.

 

send me a mail to fanie <at> boshoffvisser dot co dot za

if i must put you in contact with someone who can give you more info.

 

Posted

We live in a capitalist society where goods and services (including mine) are charged at what the market will bear (bare?). If it were any different, I guess we'd be talking Russian or Chinese, we wouldn't be allowed to complain then! At the end of the day, ask about costs and push for a discount, that's all you can do.

Posted

It is a no win argument, but I'm just having a say...I know first hand that nothing is for free, but I guess it blows my mind that someone (and not just doctors) can earn more, from one client/patient, than I can earn in 6 months.

Posted

 

Sadly I think the days in having blind faith in medical practices and institutions are over. Respect to all the docs and nurses and others who work hard to earn an honest living but given the course that private medical health has takem, there seems to be a fair number who use the opportunity to milk it.?

An example was when my mom was diagnosed with a brain tumour. I brought her her to Milpark where the diagnosis was made, but then she was admitted to Glynwood in Benoni since that is where the rest of the family was. I witnessed the head honcho of the oncology dept there rubbing ?hands with glee over all the forthcoming revenue derived from pointless and expensive treatment, and called in a few other opinions and the advice was palative care, since it was terminal. The Doc there would have none of it, and continued to promise more life with all this expensive treatment (which he must have know was completely pointless), fortunately and sadly my mothers stay there was not prolonged but then I went back to try to corner this dude into admitting he was ripping us off, but of course he is the Doc and knows best - but bollocks to him in this case. I didnt have grounds or energy to persue it in the courts then but it made me realise that medical care is just another business out to make money and scruples are few and far between, especially when it comes to elderly people on medical aids. But it didnt end there: turns out the medical aid package had a limit, and I had to square up the diffs.

RIP HBG

? ?

kosmonooit2009-12-07 12:46:39

Posted

Some doctors are contracted in to the medical aids and usually charge medical aid rates.

Some doctors are contracted out and charge what they like. Bear in mind that they studied for a minimum of 7 years and then some even further if they specialised. Then still their years of experience after studying. You are paying for those skills, knowledge and experience. Go to a doctor that has just qualified and you will pay much less than a doctor with 25 plus years of experience. But then you will get better treatment with the doctor who has been in practice for 25 plus years.

Same with lawyers, you are paying for the knowledge.

It is not a tangible thing like going to Woolworths compared to other shops. You pay Woolworths prices but generally get better products. But you can see the better quality, with medical treatment and legal advice it is not as readily discernable.

And medical aids are also not as clean handed as people think. Doctors have ongoing struggles with medical aids.
Posted

ShockedSome intereting and shocking stories. I have one of my own which took a long time to get over - I had a vertebrae fusion last year - 6 and 7 in the lower part of my neck. It was done by a neurosurgeon who was referred to me by my GP.

I thought I had an ok medical aid scheme and went for the op without asking any monetory questions!

After the op I received the doctors account for R37 000! If paid within 7 days this would drop to R28 000?!! I submitted this to my MA who, much to my disgust, paid only "National Health" tariff of R10 500!

This was the first I had heard of the NHRLP and unknowingly (to me) my MA had adopted these tarriffs and despite many protests, they would not budge. So I had to cough up the R17 000 difference myself.

What is particularly immoral about this is that my MA later recommended to me that if I upgraded from the "Standard" package to the "Comprehensive" they would pay up to 3 time the NHRLP tarriff. I have done this but at a monthly premium increase of R1800!

It seems that the MA's and doctors are working together to screw as much as they can get away with out of the patient!

 

And to top it all, the op wasn't a total sucess, leaving me with numbness in my hand which the doc shrugs off as not his fault!

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