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» NOVEMBER 2009
Barnstone Health Touch – Hannelie Brink

There are 2 major challenges in the delivery of healthcare in South Africa. The first being access to quality healthcare facilities and secondly affordable healthcare products.

Barnstone is in the process of establishing a Healthcare Network which will consist of private entities who operate and own healthcare facilities and have the spare capacity to treat additional patients. The Network will provide additional services such as optometry, dentistry, pathology and radiology to the private entities.

The role of Barnstone in establishing the healthcare network will be to:

• Act as a facilitator to bring the above parties together

• Ensuring that these facilities are better utilised

• Optimise the utilisation of said healthcare facilities by providing access to services

Barnstone will sign agreements with several private companies in the mining and manufacturing industry to utilize their spare capacity within their healthcare facilities country wide e.g. hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, occupational health services and more.  The main focus in those facilities is primary healthcare to keep employees healthy and productive at the same time to keep the healthcare spend/costs realistic.  Those companies can deliver occupational health services on a standard very few service providers in South Africa are able to.  They are experts in supporting and treating injuries on duty, exit medicals, Red cards and healthcare services ranging to highly specialized medical treatment. 

We identified a reasonable link between the network of medical facilities that we currently do business with and the contractors and community in these non central areas. By utilizing those healthcare facilities, contractors, Corporates and the community in those specific areas can use those facilities at a very affordable contribution per month without compromising the quality of healthcare services

Barnstone has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Anglo Platinum to utilize their healthcare facilities which are situated in Rustenburg, Northern, Thabazimbi, Potgietersrus, and Pietersburg. We are in the process to finalizing a similar agreement with Anglo Coal in Witbank. Impala Platinum and Lonmin in Rustenburg both indicate their intention to participate in this network. The Bafokeng kingdom is also keen to make the Bafokeng medical centre part of the network.

Barnstone envisages this healthcare network to become part of the NHI (National Health Insurance) delivery that will become enforceable soon.