The High Court in Johannesburg has granted Health Squared leave to apply for voluntary liquidation on September 27.
Read: CMS’s bid to strike a deal for Health Squared members fails
In an order handed down on September 2, Judge Allyson Crutchfield also made a resolution by the trustees undertaking to extend cover for gravely ill members until September 30 an order of the court. It stipulated that this protection could not be scrapped by a curator, if one is appointed.
Health Squared’s application for leave to apply for voluntary liquidation was opposed by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), which wants to place the scheme under curatorship.
Judge Crutchfield has yet to decide on the CMS’s application.
In court papers, the Registrar of Medical Schemes sought the appointment of a curator to facilitate and negotiate the transfer of Health Squared members to other medical schemes, and management of the scheme alongside any liquidator appointed by the court.
The registrar argued in his founding affidavit that a curator is necessary to investigate the circumstances that led to the demise of the scheme.
I think that there are almost 40000 members – most of them old – who would be without cover unless some sort of solution can be found to offer them a Medical Aid alternative..
My friend is 95 years old and had to be rushed to hospital on Sunday night and she was admitted to ICU, she had to pay R60000 as they said Health Squared patience were now private patients. She was discharged from hospital today and so far the total amount she has had to pay out is over R80000. She was never notified in August about the liquidation she only found out on Sunday night through the hospital.
Shocking