Massive congratulations to GEMS!
GEMS now boasts an incredible total of 800 499 main members. This means GEMS now offers private healthcare access to more than two million lives – a significant milestone in the SA healthcare industry.
The idea of the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) was born in 2002 when Cabinet approved a framework policy recommending that a new medical scheme be established specifically to care for government employees. It was to be a flagship scheme that exemplified the principles of equity, efficiency and differentiation by providing high-quality care and ensuring that its members are at the heart of all decisions made.
On 1 January 2005, GEMS as we know it today was registered. GEMS is proud to have greatly increased the number of previously uninsured lives who now have access to quality private healthcare services. The GEMS vision of providing sustainable and effective care while working to transform the industry has guided all initiatives over the years and is the cornerstone of the scheme’s overall strategy.
Medscheme has been a key stakeholder since inception, and we are extremely proud of the incredible work we have done to support GEMS and its members. As GEMS has grown, so too has Medscheme. The contract has positively impacted Medscheme and the broader AfroCentric environment.
How you contribute
We’ve been able to count on you to deliver day in, day out to the people we serve. Each time we respond to a tender, interface with a new SPN/third party or through innovation find different ways to deliver our services in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges, we dig deep and come out on top.
Our contract keeps expanding, and we always find new ways to manage our volumes of work in the face of huge complexity. Thank you once again for going the extra mile and proudly keeping the Medscheme flag flying high!
Celebrating our milestone
We held big celebrations for all GEMS employees to acknowledge their contribution to the incredible achievement of reaching 800 499 main members.
The fun and games stretched over two days at the Cape Town and Roodepoort sites, and employees were encouraged to wear the GEMS colours: black, red, yellow, green, silver light grey and blue.
The festivities included popping balloons to receive lucky prizes, sketch artists drawing cute caricatures of employees and, of course, lots of food, including ice cream, popcorn, candy floss, sweets and boerewors rolls.
At a team bingo session, the regions had a good laugh as they tried to outplay each other in a very original version of the game. Each winner received a R250 Pick n Pay gift card. Then there was the dance challenge, where individuals and groups were invited to submit videos of themselves showing off their best moves to the tune of Happy by Pharrell Williams. Check out some of the entries.
All employees were made to feel special for the contribution they made to reaching this milestone. It was a wonderful experience and a proud moment.
