Privacy Policy

Introduction

Medical Schemes Explained (‘we‘, ‘us‘, ‘our‘, ‘Medical Schemes Explained‘) is not an authorised financial services provider, but merely an information provider.

Our business model is largely based on a referral system. Therefore, our success depends on referrals from our clients and our relationship with policyholders, clients and business partners. This relationship is built on trust and quality service. When we collect your personal information from sources other than directly from you, you will have had to confirm that you are agreeable for others to have shared your information. In order to provide holistic care and support to our clients, we rely on all Group Affiliates and their services. Medical Schemes Explained and the Group Affiliates are committed to offering you an all-encompassing solution, that is in your interest and that will benefit your health and wellbeing.

We value our clients and business partners. We understand the sensitive nature of the personal information which we hold. It is for this reason that the protection of your personal information is one of our top priorities. We endeavour to maintain the confidentiality of your personal information and process your personal information in adherence to the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”).

This privacy policy (“privacy policy“) explains –

• how we collect, use, transfer and protect your personal information; and
• the rights you have in relation to your personal information in terms of POPIA.
• This notice may be revised from time to time as and when necessitated by the changes in our growing business and updated versions of this notice will be posted on our website and be made available via email on request. If you wish to receive this privacy policy by email you may do so by request to our information officer at info@medicalschemesexplained.co.za. 

What Is Personal Information?

In terms of POPIA, personal information is information that may be used to identify an individual or a company.

Examples of personal information include, but are not limited to –

• name
• identification number
• contact information 

Personal Information That We Collect

We collect and use personal information mainly to perform direct marketing and to perform contractual obligations. We perform direct marketing where there is a legitimate and mutual interest. We undertake direct marketing in instances where we have a pre-existing relationship with you, and you have agreed for us to contact you for purposes of direct marketing or where we have asked you permission to do so. In other words, where there is a legitimate and mutual interest.

We may collect personal information which includes, but is not limited, to–

We may also collect feedback, comments and questions received from you in service-related communication and activities.

When personal information is collected, we will indicate the purpose for the collection of the personal information and whether the personal information required is compulsory or voluntary. We will, to the extent possible, inform you of the consequences for failing to provide the requested information.

How We Collect Personal Information

We collect your personal information in one of the following ways –

• directly from you through a telephone call centre
• from the clients that refer you to us
• when you use our website your information may be automatically collected (e.g. data gathered by cookies)
• when you use our website for online queries or chat box functionality
• when your personal information is publicly available and
• if you gave consent to the collection of your information from another source (including our Group Affiliates) and we have provided you with the detail of the source 

Use of Personal Information

Personal information collected by us may be used, stored, disclosed or shared for the following purposes –

• to communicate with you regarding benefits and information shared
• to send you important information regarding changes to medical schemes, product offerings and general health insurance developments
• testimonials
• to process your premium and other payments
• to analyse and manage other commercial risks
• to conduct market research
• to comply with our internal policies and procedures such as –
  • audit reports
  • finance and accounting
  • billing and collections
  • IT systems
  • data and website management and
  • records management
• to respond to queries or resolve complaints
• to handle requests for the correction, updating, access or deletion of your personal information
• to comply with applicable laws and regulatory obligations and
• to access suitability for a product

Sharing of Personal Information

Access to your personal information within Medical Schemes Explained and the Group Affiliates is restricted to those individuals who require access to your personal information for business purposes.

We may also share your information with other companies who are not Group Affiliates. This will only be done to the extent that it is in pursuance of our legitimate interests or once you have given us your explicit and prior consent to do so. Furthermore, we may share your personal information with third parties in the event of any of the following occurring –

Where we disclose your personal information to the above parties, they will be bound to use that personal information for the reasons and purposes it was provided to them and not for any other purpose.

Medical Schemes Explained may be obliged to disclose your personal information to the extent that it is required to do so by law or where we believe it is necessary to protect our rights.

Securing Your Personal Information

Medical Schemes Explained will –

• take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure that your personal information is kept secure and is protected against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage, alteration, disclosure or access. This includes, for example, encryption your personal information and ensuring that adequate firewalls are in place;
• provide you with access to your personal information to view and/or update your personal details;
• promptly notify you if we become aware of any unauthorised use, disclosure or processing of your personal information; and
• provide you with reasonable evidence of our compliance with our obligations under this policy on reasonable notice and request.

Whilst we will do all things reasonably necessary to protect your rights of privacy, we cannot guarantee or accept any liability whatsoever for unauthorised or unlawful disclosures of your personal information, whilst in our possession, by a third party who is not subject to our control, unless such disclosure is as a result of our gross negligence.

If you disclose your personal information to a third party, such as an entity which operates a website linked to this website or anyone other than Medical Schemes Explained, MEDICAL SCHEMES EXPLAINED SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE, HOWSOEVER ARISING, SUFFERED BY YOU AS A RESULT OF THE DISCLOSURE OF SUCH INFORMATION TO THE THIRD PARTY. This is because we do not regulate or control how that third party uses your personal information. You should always ensure that you read the privacy policy of any third party.

All information obtained by Medical Schemes Explained is stored on dedicated servers within the borders of South Africa. The servers are secured behind a firewall and access to the servers are password protected and strictly limited. Notwithstanding this, no security measures or systems are impenetrable. We cannot make any guarantees against data breaches.

How You Can Review and Correct Your Personal Information

We undertake to provide you with access to your personal information and provide mechanisms so that any personal information found to be inaccurate or incomplete can be corrected or amended as feasible, subject to any requirement or rule for such personal information to be retained by law.

Prior to the amendment, correction or removal of your personal information, we will require you to identify yourself and to identify the portion of information requested to be amended, correct or removed. A request for the amendment, correction or removal of personal information may be declined if the process of the request is unreasonably repetitive, require disproportionate technical effort, jeopardizes the privacy of others or makes the provision of a product impossible.

The services of access and correction of personal information is done free of charge, except to the extent that it would require disproportionate effort by Medical Schemes Explained. Once personal information is deleted, residual copies of the information may take a period of time before they are deleted from our servers and may remain in our backup systems.

It is important that any information you provide directly to us is accurate and correct. Please let us know as soon as you can if any information that we hold about you is no longer correct.

Providing false or inaccurate information in order to obtain a product or service may also result in said product or service is restricted or cancelled.

• For further information on how to exercise your right of access to personal information, please refer to our procedure for data subject access to, objection to, correction or deletion of personal information processed by Medical Schemes Explained as set out in the PAIA/POPIA Manual which is available at https://www.medicalschemesexplained.co.za/PAIA-and-POPIA-manual.pdf. 

Data Retention

We will only retain your personal information to the extent and duration that we have a legitimate interest to process your personal information as defined in point 5 above (“Use of Personal Information”).

We will upon your request, promptly return or destroy any and all of your personal information in our possession or control, save for that which we are legally obliged to retain.

Cross-border Personal Information Transfers

To the extent that we transfer your personal information outside the borders of South Africa, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including, for example, ensuring that the third party who is the recipient of the information is subject to a law or binding agreement which provides for an adequate level of protection similar to POPIA.

Your Rights As a Data Subject

As a data subject, you have a number of data privacy rights. These rights include-

• a right of access: subject to certain exceptions, a data subject after providing adequate proof of identity has the right to –
  • request Medical Schemes Explained to confirm whether any personal information is held about the data subject; and/or
  • request from Medical Schemes Explained a description of the personal information held including information about third parties who have or have had access to personal information.
• a right to request correction or deletion: a data subject may request Medical Schemes Explained to –
  • correct or delete personal information about the data subject in our possession or control that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, outdated, incomplete, misleading or obtained unlawfully; and/or
  • destroy or delete a record of personal information about the data subject that Medical Schemes Explained is no longer authorised to retain in terms of the relevant legislative provision.
• a right to withdraw consent and to object to processing: a data subject that has previously consented to the processing of his/her/its personal information has the right to withdraw such consent and may do so by providing Medical Schemes Explained with notice to such effect to our Information Officer (at the contact details set out below). Furthermore, a data subject may object, on reasonable grounds, to the processing of personal information relating to him/her/it;
• a right to not be subjected to direct marketing by means of unsolicited electronic communications: a data subject has a right not to be subject to direct marketing by means of unsolicited electronic communications unless you have given us your consent or you are an existing customer of ours;
• a right not to be subjected to automated decision making: a data subject has a right not to be subject to a decision which results in legal consequences for him/her/it which is based solely on the basis of the automated processing of personal information.

As a data subject, you also have a right to lodge a complaint to the Information Regulator of South Africa if you are unsatisfied with the manner in which Medical Schemes Explained addresses any complaint with regard to Medical Schemes Explained’s processing of your personal information, the contact details of the Information Regulator are as follows –

Website: https://www.justice.gov.za/inforeg/
Tel: 012 406 4818
Fax: 086 500 3351
Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this notice or our treatment of your personal information or wish to exercise any of your rights, please address an email to info@medicalschemesexplained.co.za.