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Victims of crime bear heavy medical burdens
By Cornelia du Plooy
2006-10-24

The cost of crime is escalating - in medical terms. Pretoria hospitals are admitting more people with crime-related injuries.

Eugene Marais Hospital spokesperson Amber Brown said since the beginning of the year the hospital had treated 176 patients with crime-related injuries.

"Since January, we've treated 21 victims of shooting incidents and 152 of assault. We've also admitted five patients with human bite wounds.

"Injuries resulting from burglaries, hijackings, assaults, attempted murder, rape, child abuse and murder are on the increase," said Brown.

Spokesperson for Unitas Hospital Corne Bekker said between January to September, 162 patients were admitted for crime-related injuries. "We've seen 18 gunshot victims and 23 victims of sexual assault," she said.

Catherine Tlhadi of Kalafong Hospital said since January, 215 patients with gunshot wounds had been admitted.

Pretoria Academic Hospital spokesperson Fredah Kobo said in September alone, 33 gunshot victims were admitted. Since the beginning of this month, 18 gunshot victims had been admitted to the hospital's emergency unit.

Rendering services to victims of crime had huge financial implications, said Kobo. "Most patients have to stay in hospital for a while as they often have to be operated on and admitted to intensive care before recovering in a general ward. All of this costs thousands of rands."

In determining the average cost of medical services crime victims will need, the Council for Medical Schemes compiles a national reference price list for medical schemes to determine benefit levels. Health service providers can individually determine fees charged to patients.

According to the list, an ambulance can cost more than R900.

Hospitals can charge from R325 for three hours' therapy a day to R2 890 for intensive-care rehabilitation. Physiotherapy can cost between R50 and R260 a treatment and radiography can cost anything from R30 to R900.

Dr Martin de Villiers, head of risk management at Old Mutual Healthcare, said the average basic cost claim for overnight hospitalisation could be up to R2 500.

Doctors' fees add to this burden. "Doctors's consultations and physiotherapy can cost anything from R170 to R200," he said.

"A course of antibiotics costs on average R45, and antidepressants up to R180 a month for six to 12 months.

"A course of emergency anti-retroviral medicine costs R325 plus associated pathology at R130," he said.

Barbara Louw, of Inter Trauma Nexus, said the financial impact of crime and trauma was enormous.

"If you've just been robbed and assaulted, the first thing to do would be to consult a doctor or go to a hospital.

"After that you might have to have X-rays taken, which could cost at least R1 000.

"Then it is important to go to a traumatologist or counsellor, and these costs vary from between R160 to R360 a session.

"The trauma related to crime poses the need for psychiatric services which, to a large extent, has to be paid out of the patient's own pocket.

"The costs accumulate because the medical aid funds often limit the claim amount.

"Trauma counselling can cost up to R360 a session, which means should you only have R1 200 cover a year for such services, you wouldn't be able to afford more than three sessions," she said.

Louw said crime had become a source of finance for government and the private sector.

"You have to pay excess fares and improve your security - and all the while government is scoring because you have to pay tax on everything.

"Even if government promises to reimburse victims of crime rand for rand, which it will never be able to do, that's just tangible costs, that's not even considering the emotional trauma.

"The medical repercussions of crime affect productivity, which leads to huge economic losses," Louw said.

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