Old Mutual Healthcare, a division of London- and Johannesburg-listed Old Mutual plc, has dominated the results of the annual TWIG SA research into service levels across South Africa’s health-care industry, being ranked by medical providers as first in terms of overall service.
Scheme members ranked Old Mutual second in terms of satisfaction, and second for overall service.
Announcing the achievement on Friday, Thabiso Buku, Old Mutual Healthcare’s MD, said: “The overall results of the survey show a marked improvement in service levels across the industry. In that context, we’re very happy that we’ve been singled out as consistently setting high standards. These results demonstrate the commitment we made to members to improve our service levels and product offerings.”
The annual industry research is conducted by independent research company TWIG SA. Old Mutual Healthcare featured strongly in all categories in the survey, but it was in the responses from medical providers that it came out tops.
“This is particularly heartening for us,” Buku said. “Pharmacies and medical practitioners are critical stakeholders for us and we work hard to go the extra mile for them. Clearly, those efforts are being rewarded now and the result is that our members receive quicker, more focused attention from medical professionals.”
Another key aspect of the survey is how it tracks progress over a period of time, he noted.
“This is the third year that this type of research has been conducted by TWIG SA, and each year has seen a definite increase of member satisfaction levels with our service,” Buku said.
“But we can’t get complacent. Service is a key differentiator in our business and we use the research to root out the areas that need extra attention. We’re intent on ensuring that our service levels are maintained as we continue our growth drive.”
At the end of last year, Oxygen, the retail medical scheme administered by Old Mutual Healthcare, was considered the country’s fastest-growing scheme in the industry on the back of its “kids for free” proposition to young families. — I-Net Bridge