Whilst it’s been a turbulent year in terms of global socio-politic-economics, the South African environment has actually been a positive one over the past year. Recently our S&P rating improved, we were removed from the FATF Grey list and inflation has remained low. We’ve had steady economic growth, albeit still too low, but this compares well in the context of global tariffs and other uncertainties. The gold price has risen significantly and the JSE is one of the top global stock exchange performers. Whilst there are still some strong ideological statements from the NdoH in the context of its proposed NHI model that is being challenged in court, and the court cases have delayed the NHI implementation, there are many positive engagements happening in the background across the healthcare sector aimed at expanding access to quality healthcare services.
At EthiQal, we are also pleased with the busy and productive year we have had.
Our in-house team of lawyers and doctors has continued to engage our insured practitioners daily, not only to provide immediate expert support where legal complaints and demands have been received, but also to provide proactive expert guidance where assistance relating to day-to-day challenges identified in a practice has been requested or where, based on notifications, medicolegal vulnerabilities in a practice have been identified. Some of the important themes during the year included challenges doctors face entering private practice for the 1st time, the need for a better understanding of the HPCSA ethical rules, shortcomings of our legal system, mental health challenges, the burden of administrative processes, including those imposed by funders, the impact of digitization, cyber threats and AI, as well as the need for mentorship and better peer review processes.
To share our knowledge and insights more broadly, we hosted and ran the first three of a series of highly successful webinars with multi-disciplinary expert panels discussing case studies and engaging on practical questions posed by attendees. General feedback from your colleagues has been exceptionally positive! Be sure to watch the recordings on our website if you missed these sessions.
We also attended many conferences, either as an exhibitor or as speakers or both, for specialties such as obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, ENT, general surgery, etc. Other than directly supporting the profession because of our active participation, we always enjoy the personal interaction with our clients at these events.
On the digital front, in line with supporting modern medicine, we have introduced a cyber security value add product from iTOO, at a very affordable premium of R2880 per year (only R240 per month). Cyber threats are real and this value add provides R1m cover, but more importantly has a qualified incident response team if ever you’ve been hacked. This will help protect not only your practice, but your patients too.
As we look into 2026, we are excited about the launch of our brand new programme aimed at promoting, supporting and acknowledging practices and behaviours that encourage patient safety and control medicolegal risks. We are grateful to the various professional societies that have collaborated with us on developing the first phase of this novel initiative, with a view to aligning health system strengthening initiatives. Keep an eye out for further details in January – we trust that you will not be disappointed and look forward to your comments.
More good news is that the outlook on premium increases in 2026 is positive, reflecting the good claims experience EthiQal has achieved over the last many years. This has also been recognised through improved reinsurance terms from our reinsurer Lloyds of London.
Finally, as in prior years, we celebrated Doctor’s Day and donated to Operation Healing Hands in November. Doctor’s Day is a constant reminder that your story inspires ours.
May we thank you again for your tireless support to our communities and families and may you have a wonderful and relaxing Festive Season.
