A quintet of awards for medical scheme

The Ask Afrika team with Bonitas: Dr Andrea Rademeyer, Dr Sarina Howie, Faye Joubert, Lee Callakoppen (Bonitas), Serisha Singh (Bonitas) and Shane Perumal (Bonitas), with Siphiliswe Dlamini and Maria Petousis

It is also the fifth accolade for the scheme this year that includes: Two BHF Titanium Awards for Best Integrated Report and Best Operational Performance, Top 500’s Leader for Medical Aid and a gold in the Daily Sun Reader’s Choice Awards.

One of the biggest challenges for brands is delivering on a brand promise and consistent customer service. Consumers now demand more from the customer experience. One way of measuring and gaining insights on whether a brand is getting it right is through independent surveys and audits from industry bodies and consumers themselves. In the case of private medical schemes, these include the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) Awards and the Ask Afrika Orange Index Awards.

The Ask Afrika Orange Index Awards is the largest and longest-standing customer experience benchmark in South Africa. Apart from consumer trends, the Index also gives brands a comparative view of their standing across industries. It looks at brands that hold true to their purpose while providing consistent and quality outcomes for their customers. Principles such as trust, sustainability, reputation and humanness feature strongly in top customer need attributes.

Lee Callakoppen, principal officer of Bonitas, says: “This award endorses the strategy we adopted, which is to reshape the healthcare ecosystem by bringing affordable, quality healthcare to more South Africans.

“For over four decades, we have honed a thorough understanding of the dynamics of the healthcare industry in South Africa. This, coupled with our knowledge of the healthcare needs of people from all walks of life, is the foundation for our success and ensured our relevance in an ever-changing industry. We will continue to strive to deliver on our promise of being the ‘medical aid for South Africa'.”