Ensuring the longevity of the healthcare funding industry

In its 2023 Global Outlook on Healthcare, Deloitte refers to ‘The pandemic that changed everything.’ Lest you start casting your mind back to the many losses – both in human life and sources of income – what is being referred to in this instance is the profound awakening to healthcare mechanisms in a post-pandemic world within industrialised as well as developing economies.

Global demands for an increased focus on sustainability and resilience, which was not evident before the pandemic, have ensured that we will never think about healthcare in the same way again. Apart from the insights gleaned around international health policies and identifying future threats to public health, the next few years will be characterised by how technology can be harnessed to change and improve healthcare delivery.

While the Fund appreciates that costs have long been a hot button for healthcare, BCIMA knows, better than anyone else, that the health and well-being of the workforce representing the building, Civil Engineering and open-cast mining industries are non-negotiable. A considerable emphasis is therefore placed on making healthcare more accessible for the men and women of the sectors that BCIMA serves by delivering a more flexible, more affordable, and more practical product and service offering to members. This is echoed by increases in the low single digits, always well below the industry norm and benefits that are honed to perfection while being improved year after year.

The value that BCIMA provides is widely acknowledged in the industry, with the Fund enjoying considerable support from various associations, such as the Bargaining Council for the Civil Engineering Industry, the Master Builders Association of South Africa, the Master Builders Association North, and the South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors. It is also the preferred medical scheme for several unions, including the Building, Construction and Allied Workers Union, the National Union of Mine Workers, and the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers.

The greatest differentiating factor within the healthcare funding industry is the ability to drive and manage change to ensure future sustainability proactively. Essentially it is the total transformation of ‘what we do and how we do it’ that will ensure the longevity of this industry.

Enter the era of virtual doctor’s consultations and scripts, accelerated telemedicine, medical scheme apps, and more. BCIMA’s members are not being left behind – to the contrary – as a scheme we are steadily edging our way to the forefront of a technology-driven future. So, for all intents and purposes things are looking up and we hope to share more of these exciting developments with you in the coming months.