IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES MEDICAL SCHEME

The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) was registered with effect from 1 January 2005 as a means to address the challenges in respect of the current provision of medical assistance to public service employees by Government.

The Government is currently the largest purchaser of private health-care services in the country and yet it is not represented on any of the 68 medical schemes on which 550 000 of our employees are currently enrolled.

In this environment, the Government is also not allowed the opportunity to influence the selection by employees and also the quality of the options employees elect to purchase.

Whist many employees do make use of the medical subsidy that is provided by the employer, Government is particularly concerned that there are still 380 000 of its employees who do not access the available subsidy because they find the current costs of medical schemes excessive.

Government believes that it is imperative that equitable access to comprehensive health-care benefits by our employees should be promoted, as this will expand the number of medical scheme beneficiaries in the country and also reduce the pressure on many of our public sector facilities that so many of our citizens are dependent on for the provision of essential health-care services.

Cabinet approved the registration of GEMS after considering the outcomes of extensive research processes that analysed the financial position and health-care needs of public service employees and pensioners, the South African medical scheme context, and the overarching policy objectives of equity and affordability.

GEMS is a restricted membership medical scheme where membership is limited to current public service employees and those public service employees who have retired.

The business of GEMS is currently directed by the interim Board of Trustees, chaired by Prof Levin, the Director-General of the Department of Public Service and Administration.

Members of the scheme will be given an opportunity to elect further trustees at the scheme's inaugural annual general meeting.

GEMS has registered five dynamic benefit options that offer comprehensive health-care benefits in a manner that is familiar to most employees.

The five benefit options are Onyx, Ruby, Emerald, Topaz and Sapphire.

The packages range from the very affordable Sapphire option that will provide essential cover, to the more expensive Onyx option where public service employees will enjoy more extensive cover.

Even the lowest earner in the public service is hereby afforded the opportunity to access comprehensive medical scheme benefits by making a personal contribution of as little as R 112 per month.