Public Education Notice: Patient Payment Procedures
22 September 2026 Medicare Private Hospital Rustenburg
The hospital takes any concern relating to patient billing, receipts, invoices or requests for payment extremely seriously. We are committed to transparent, ethical and accountable billing practices, and we encourage any patient or family member who is uncertain about a payment request to escalate the matter immediately to hospital management before making any payment.
The hospital’s approved payment channels are medical aid authorisation, authorised government or third-party funder authorisation where applicable, electronic funds transfer into the authorised hospital bank account reflected on the official invoice, approved card payment facilities, and receipted cash payments only at authorised reception/cashier points where the payment is captured and receipted through the hospital’s electronic cash vault process. The hospital does not require or endorse payment via WhatsApp, Cash Send, e-wallet, personal bank account, or any other informal payment channel.
For medical aid patients, treatment is processed through the medical aid authorisation and claims process. Where authorisation is declined or benefits are exhausted, the hospital’s case management and billing teams will engage directly with the patient or family to explain the outcome and discuss lawful, documented and receipted payment alternatives. Where the hospital has waived co-payments for patients, no additional co-payment should be paid directly to any staff member.
It is also important for the public to understand that a private hospital account may involve more than one billing entity. The hospital account is separate from accounts that may be issued by independent healthcare providers, including laboratories, radiology providers, emergency department doctors, anaesthetists, specialists or other professional providers involved in the patient’s care.
Patients should request an official invoice and receipt from each provider and should only pay into the provider’s authorised business account or through an approved card payment facility.
The hospital will investigate any allegation of irregular payment requests and will take appropriate action where wrongdoing is identified. Members of the public are requested not to hand cash to any staff member outside authorised payment points, and to report any request for Cash Send, WhatsApp payment, personal account payment or undocumented cash payment immediately to the hospital manager on call, the frontline nurse, the nursing manager or the hospital manager.
Patients and families can be assured that the hospital’s approved payment channels are limited to the following:
• Medical aid authorisation and claims, processed through the hospital’s case management and billing teams.
• Government or third-party funder authorisation, where applicable, including approved statutory and referral arrangements.
• Electronic funds transfer (EFT), only into the authorised hospital bank account shown on the official invoice.
• Approved card payment facilities.
• Receipted cash, only at authorised reception or cashier points, where it is captured and receipted through the hospital’s electronic cash vault process.
No cash should be handed to any staff member outside an authorised payment point, and no payment should be made into a staff member’s personal account.
Advice to patients and families
We understand that when attending to a family emergency you want to act quickly and may be less likely to question a request. For that reason, we urge everyone to remember the following:
• Ask for an official invoice before paying, and check that it shows the correct patient, provider and account details.
• Obtain a receipt immediately after payment and keep your invoice and proof of payment for your records and medical aid claims.
• A uniform or name badge is not proof that a payment request is genuine. If a request feels wrong, do not pay. Stop and ask for the hospital manager on call to verify it.
• Report any request for Cash Send, WhatsApp, personal account or undocumented cash payment immediately.
Where to report a suspicious request
A hospital manager is available through reception 24 hours a day. Patients and families may also use the following contacts:
Number
Frontline nurse direct line 082 972 5705
Nursing manager direct line and WhatsApp 060 648 8776
Hospital manager WhatsApp 072 095 2129