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Category Healthcare
SUB CATEGORIES General  |  HIV |  Medical Schemes | 

Partnering to Bridge South Africa’s Healthcare Gap

22 August 2013 Sasja La Grange, Bestmed

The South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (SANHANES) report, released recently by the Human Sciences Research council, revealed that the country has a huge burden of disease, fuelled by a multiplicity of risk factors that require

In a bid to address this challenge and encourage people to adopt preventative healthcare measures, Bestmed – one of South Africa’s oldest and leading medical schemes - will launch its partnership with the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) and Incolabs at its annual golf day event at the Centurion Golf Estate on 28 August 2013.

“We believe that a healthy nation is a productive one and we have committed to contributing to the country’s economic growth by encouraging people to take preventative healthcare seriously. The reality in our country, where the healthcare system is two pronged, is that the public sector caters for 80% of healthcare needs of our population, with very limited resources. It becomes a priority for companies like ours to take a step into contributing towards the sustainability of our country.”

“Our partnership with CANSA and Incolabs is one way of showing that we care. Both organisations bring invaluable expertise to the fore to enable us to reach our goal of active, (sun) safe, nutri-wise, happy and fin-wise communities who will ultimately be a healthier population. We will also donate the proceeds from the Golf Day to CANSA’s Tough Living with Cancer (TLC) programme that provides support and care to children and families affected by cancer, at the launch event,” says Sasja La Grange, Corporate Communication Manager at Bestmed.

La Grange says that an agreement has been signed for a three year partnership, where the three organisations will be involved in various sports activities and educational school projects that Bestmed is involved in. “We launched our sports sponsorship programme and the healthy habits school programme initiative earlier this year as we believe that educating our children about healthy habits and lifestyles at a young age will become a way of life, and will assist in reducing the costs of medical expenses in the long run. Next year both primary and secondary schools will have health-related educational programmes, highlighting matters that school children face.”

Incolabs, a South African company specialising in quality personal care and household consumer goods has committed to providing Tropitone and Everysun – both CANSA approved sunscreen, which will be available to sports participants and spectators at Bestmed’s sporting events. The schools that have been identified to form part of the healthy habits initiative will each receive an informative lesson to understand the importance of protecting their skin, and a donation of the sunscreen for learners to apply when they embark on sports activities during the year.

Says Sue Janse van Rensburg, CANSA CEO “CANSA strives to ensure people take care of their largest body organ, which is their skin. Skin cancer is one the most common cancers in South Africa –melanoma (the most deadly type of skin cancer) is on the increase. Risk levels for South Africans are amongst the highest worldwide. Through this partnership, we can spread the word and promote the use of approved CANSA sunscreens and ways to reduce your risk.”

“We believe this partnership is a step towards having a more informed community (especially our youth and sports participants as well as spectators) and a first step that will lead to healthier lifestyles. Education is of key importance to promote a healthy nation as a whole,” concludes van Rensburg.

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