Discovery Health Medical Scheme Member, Siya Ngqeleni shares how the WELLTH Fund has helped him to better manage his and his son's health

Residing in the Eastern Cape, Siya Ngqeleni is a loving father to his 8-year-old son. Working in the wellness industry, he keeps good health top of mind when it comes to his son's and his own physical wellbeing.

To kick-start every year, Siya takes part in his company's Wellness Experience Days and diligently completes a Health Check at the beginning of each year to gauge his current health status and gain some healthy motivation for the year ahead.

Siya elaborates:

"It's important to know how you are doing in terms of your health. What your blood pressure is like and how your lifestyle is contributing to your health. I like doing a Health Check at the start of the year, because it gives you a good idea of how you can look after yourself better for the year."

"It's important to know where you are in terms of your health, so you can make wiser choices to live a healthier lifestyle."

In doing a Health Check regularly, members can focus their efforts on any areas that raise concern. In Siya's case, his Body Mass Index (BMI) was out of the optimal range and needed some attention.

"My BMI raised a red flag during this year's Health Check. Being slightly overweight didn't help me in getting the points I needed. I am on Gold (Vitality) status and I'm pushing to reach Diamond status to add a few more years to my life," says Siya with a smile.

Unexpected additional medical cover through the WELLTH Fund came as a welcomed relief for Siya.

At the start of this year, he took his son, Caleb, for a dental check-up. There was a considerable amount of dental work that the boy needed done. The dentist suggested that some fillings and a tooth extraction be performed under anaesthetic.

"I then received an email telling me all about Discovery's WELLTH Fund and the added cover it gives you. I was hoping that this will help fund my son's medical bills but I wasn't entirely sure. I decided to go ahead with this procedure as it was important for my son's dental health."

The WELLTH Fund is an additional, once-off risk benefit. Once unlocked, it offers Discovery Health Medical Scheme members and their dependants, up to R10 000 per family to empower themselves by better understanding and addressing their personal healthcare needs.

"To my surprise, when the hospital and anaesthetist bills arrived, 80% of the entire amount had been settled by the WELLTH Fund, leaving us with a good MSA balance for the rest of the year."

"Now I don't have to worry about going to the doctor when we need to and not having enough MSA to cover our visits. We also have enough funds to get our multi-vitamins as we approach the winter season, when kids tend to get sick."

"The WELLTH Fund has been a tremendous help for me in managing our health benefits."

"It has ensured that we will have enough medical savings to last us for the year to cover any of our health needs that may arise. With the extra cover from the WELLTH Fund I can now also go for my own dental check-up."

"Through my Health Check, which unlocked my added WELLTH Fund cover, and the WELLTH Fund itself, I was encouraged to go back to gym. I'm now feeling good, my blood pressure readings are great, and I feel that I'm in a good space mentally. I even decided to visit the chiropractor this year to make sure my physical alignment is good and that I'm getting the most out of my training. This claim was also paid by the WELLTH Fund."

"Having this benefit has really opened my eyes in understanding my own health."

"It's helped me know where I stand health-wise and what I need to achieve in terms of being healthy. I even recommended it to my neighbours, an older couple who I know will benefit greatly from it too. Everyone should take care of themselves better. By going and getting your health checked to be able to access this fund, you'll be able to use it if or when you really need it."

It's really a great benefit, I wish it happened every year!"

Being asked to give his overall opinion of the WELLTH Fund benefit, Siya shares:

"The WELLTH Fund is an exceptional reward for members who are committed to managing their health. It pushes the boundaries of what medical aids are doing for their people, over and above the normal benefits we receive. Adding more value is quite powerful and it's something that makes me happy and proud to be a member of the Discovery Health medical scheme. Discovery looks after my needs. They look after my health. They incentivise me to push hard to take care of my health and they are always doing things that benefit their members more than the business itself," concludes Siya.

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