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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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