Low paid public servants battle for cancer screening
Despite belonging to medical schemes they are not being tested
02 November 2023 - 18:16
Low wage public servants are screening for cancer at significantly lower rates than better-paid colleagues despite being provided with equal cover for these benefits, data from the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) shows. A similar trend is seen in the take-up of tests for diabetes.
The findings highlight the extent to which the circumstances in which people live affects their health seeking behaviour and access to services, said GEMS chief research officer Selaelo Mametja. GEMS is the biggest medical scheme for civil servants, and had more than 2.1-million beneficiaries at the end of 2022...
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