Going to work in South Africa, with a depression prescription
Good news: I'll be starting my new work in Cape Town, South Africa soon.
Not so good news: I have depression, and is currently on the antidepressant Sertraline.
My question would be the following:
How are prescriptions of the antidepressant handled in the South African health care system? Can I obtain, from either a GP or a Specialist, a sort of "long-standing" prescription, valid for (say) a few months, that will allow me to refill at pharmacies or dispensing GPs, without me having to be referred to a Specialist each time I need a refill? I understand that recurring examinations by a Specialist are likely necessary, but I don't expect those to be frequent, as my condition is fairly stable now.
Also a related question: I'm otherwise young and physically healthy, not affected by chronic conditions except depression. However, it seems that any health insurance schemes there that cover my condition would be rather expensive. Those policies typically include a broad coverage of chronic conditions, most of which I don't foresee a need. For one like myself, what suggestion would you give in terms of health insurance selection?
Many many thanks <3
Tildes is pretty small right now with only 10k users, the majority of whom are in the US AFAIK, so the odds of many other people being on here from SA or anyone who can answer your questions related to SA insurance are probably pretty slim IMO.
This sounds pretty important and definitely something I would want to have sorted out before I moved country, so I would recommend trying to ask this on a larger site with more specific reach like reddit's /r/southafrica. Just make sure to follow the submission instructions there, e.g. use the ask /r/sa flair for you 'text post' submission, so it doesn't get removed. You could probably even message the moderators there first and they might be willing to help you as well.
You can also probably reach out to your local GP here, who may be able to at least point you in the right direction for finding the answers to your questions as well.
p.s. Best of luck to you on your new job in SA. Sounds exciting. :)
Best wishes on your work in South Africa! It's a beautiful country. Hope everything regarding prescriptions resolves itself, too.
Thank you! <3 Thank you for the very nice wishes.
Stay safe. I have a friend in cape town and it sounds like a scary place tbh.
I found something! According to the Health24 website:
Coupled with my previous history of diagnoses I think this will be fine. It means at least I have access to the prescription from a GP. In case infrequent specialist referrals may be needed, they can be at least partially funded by the health insurance.
Thanks all around <3
Good to see you back, @zoec!
Does your new employer provide any relocation assistance programs? They can help you connect to a local healthcare provider and arrange insurance (you shouldn't have to discuss your condition for this service).
I used sertraline for a long time, and the good news is, it's relatively safe (doesn't require extensive side-effect monitoring), inexpensive, and easy to obtain.
I can't speak for South Africa. But if you have a prescription, copies of your medical records from a U.S. specialist, and have been taking the drug successfully for at least 6 months, you should be able to continue care with a general practitioner.
If your employer doesn't provide relocation assistance, do you have a host or contacts in South Africa that you're comfortable asking for a GP recommendation?
Making contact with a potential GP will let you ask questions about transferring your care. Having your current doctor confirm to them that you're stable enough not to require specialist treatment should seal the deal. [I had to do something like this to move cross-country.]