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| Dr Cecile Balkema |
In the hospital Dr Cecile Balkema, who is a specialist physician, allegedly saw me and charged me for her services.
In November when I was back home I sent her an email because I was not happy with the number of medical people who allegedly saw me in hospital and I was also concerned about the amount she had charged me, as well as what all these other people had been paid by my Sizwe Hosmed Medical Aid.
These are the Questions I put her:
1. When I was in hospital did you ever tell me that you would be submitting an account for your services that would not form part of the Hospital's Account?
2. Did you ever ask me what my financial situation was so that you could get some idea as to whether or not I could afford the treatment you had in mind?
3. Is it right that you were responsible for my medical treatment while I was in the Tokai Melomed Hospital and that you arranged for me to be seen by all the other doctors etc who saw me? If you did do this why was I, as a 91 year old, who was brought to the hospital because I fainted, seen by physiotherapists Van der Meijden and Hassim, who are described as "sport injury and post operative recovery specialists." I have no recollection of having any kind of physiotherapy yet my medical aid Sizwe Hosmed paid them a total of R1 681.49 for treatment on two days 15 and 16/5/2025.
4. When I came into the hospital I was initially in a general ward, but nobody told me that I was going to be put into a High Care ward that would cost a lot more than the one I was initially in. And your personal account for R1 681.20 for each of the four days shows that my Medical Aid only paid R578.34 on two occasions. (This was my mistake Sizwe my Medical Aid paid her this amount on four occasions) So it seems I was put into a High Care ward with no regard as to whether or not my Sizwe Medical Aid would pay for it.
5. Did you examine me at any stage while I was in hospital because I don't recall it. And if so what were your findings?
6. Did you liaise with Sizwe my Medical Aid when you wanted to get other medical people to see me to find out whether my medical aid would pay for them?
7. I only recall being seen by somebody for the itch I had and the cardiologist who said as he was walking away, "There is nothing wrong with your heart " and the Ear Nose and Throat specialist who I saw when I was taken to his rooms.
8. But I can't understand how I could have had something like my chest X-rayed by Morton and Partners without knowing about it. Surely I could not have had this done while I was in bed in the ward?
9. Regarding your first Account Detail Statement that gave the total as R5 292.12, now the more recent one I got gives it as R4 135.44.
My general observation is that as you are a specialist physician I would have thought that you would have been able to diagnose my condition pretty accurately, so that it would not have been necessary to have a sort shot gun approach with the bringing in of all sorts of medical people before the final one got my condition right and that it was an inner ear problem. And having spoken to some of my grown up relatives this ear condition seems to be quite a common problem among older people, so it was not as though I had some rare illness.
My situation reminded me of a lion's kill in the game reserve when a whole lot of other animals like hyenas etc. as well as vultures get fed at just a single kill.
This was the reply I got from ShaiYah du Preez, the Team Leader at SPESprac the firm that evidently deals with the doctor's accounts.
"Kindly see the attached statement. Please note that Dr Balkema has written off the account, your balance is now R0.00"
Note: Unfortunately by this time my Medical Aid had already paid her R2 313.36
Regards,
Jon
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