14/07/2026
Today we appeared in the urgent court in the Johannesburg Division of the High Court in a matter involving a young child who required urgent, time-sensitive surgery.
The child’s medical scheme had retrospectively terminated the family’s membership mere days before the scheduled surgery date. The practical consequence was that the child’s surgery was placed at risk while the family was left to pursue the ordinary medical scheme dispute process.
By agreement, an interim order was granted suspending the termination decision, reinstating the family’s cover, and requiring the scheme to authorise and fund the child’s surgery pending the final determination of the dispute process.
The merits of the underlying medical scheme dispute will still be dealt with in the proper forum. But the immediate and critical issue was preserving access to urgent medical treatment before the surgery date was lost. This was a difficult, urgent and deeply important matter. We are grateful that the child’s access to surgery has been protected.
