Medical Aid Schemes Will Stop Paying for Supplements Prescribed by Doctors for Covid19 Treatment

• Medical aid schemes will no longer pay for certain supplements such as Zinc and Vitamin C that have been prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of Covid19
• This decision comes after the Department of Health found that there is no real benefit to taking these supplements to combat the virus
• Some medical aid schemes say they might pay for these supplements if the prescribing doctor offers a motivation

JOHANNESBURG - Fighting off mild Covid19 symptoms might become a little more expensive because of some changes that have been implemented by the Department of Health.

Most doctors would ordinarily prescribe vitamins such as Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc for the treatment of Covid19. The cost of these medications was always covered by medical aid schemes in the country more so when a doctor prescribes them.

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These supplements were also backed by the World Health Organization.

However, in September, the Department of Health changed the rules and published a review in which it stated the benefit of prescribing zinc amongst other supplements for the treatment of Covid19 was questionable and therefore did not recommend prescribing them for the treatment of the coronavirus, according to BusinessInsider.

"The evidence of efficacy and safety is very uncertain at this point," said the department.

The review has had a ripple effect which has led to medical schemes rejecting claims for supplements such as those listed above as well as 10 others.

The National Institute For Communicable Diseases (NCID) has also issued out a statement to doctors letting them know that prescribing these supplements is not advisable because there is no surety that they actually help combat the virus.

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Other countries such as India have also taken the same route as South Africa when it comes to these supplements and the treatment of Covid19.

What does this mean for the treatment of Covid19 in the future?

This does not mean that doctors will stop prescribing these medications and medical aids will completely stop paying for them.

Medical aid schemes such as Discovery and Momentum stated that should a doctor prescribe these supplements, they will have to motivate their reasons for prescribing before making the decision to pay for them.

Pfizer Covid 19 Vaccine blamed for New Zealand man’s death

Briefly News previously reported that a 26-year-old man from New Zealand has passed away and his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine is thought to be the case of his death.

One of the rarer side-effects of the vaccine is myocarditis, which is when the heart becomes enlarged due to inflammation, which can be fatal if it isn't treated.

According to Reuters, the man developed myocarditis after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. This is New Zealand's second case, the first was a woman who died due to myocarditis which developed after her second dose of Pfizer.

Source: Briefly News