Discovery Health Medical Scheme appoints new Principal Officer

Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) today announced the appointment of Milton Streak as its new Principal Officer.

Streak joins DHMS from his current position as Principal Officer of Bankmed, effective 01 May 2009.

Streak’s appointment follows the resignation of Jacky Mathekga, the Scheme’s Principal Officer for the past five years.

Mathekga, who is leaving to pursue new opportunities, leaves the Scheme in an exceptionally strong position, following a period of strong membership growth and having achieved the statutory solvency level of 25% of gross contributions by 31 December 2008. The reserves within the Scheme have crossed the R5 billion mark and it has the highest credit rating in the industry.

Adv Mike van Der Nest, chairman of DHMS board of trustees praised the work of Mathekga and welcomed Streak, saying “The board of trustees of DHMS, on behalf of the nearly two million members it represents, thanks Jacky for the role he has played over the past five years in ensuring the Scheme’s strong governance focus and successful performance. The DHMS occupies a unique position among medical schemes in South Africa and we are confident that Milton’s experience positions him well to perform the task of Principal Officer admirably.”