Platinum Health Medical Scheme: who can join, options and contact route

Membership is limited to employees, and their dependants, of the participating employer groups in the platinum and chrome mining industries. If you work for one of those employers, contact your HR department to find out which options are offered to you. If you do not, you cannot apply on your own.

If you have lost eligibility, for example because you changed employer, you will need a new scheme. Open schemes must accept any person who applies and can pay, and they may not refuse you on age or health, although waiting periods can apply. See our list of medical aid schemes and how to change medical aid.

• Restricted (closed) scheme: only employer groups operating in the platinum group metals and chrome mining industries may join, so it cannot be joined by the general public. (platinumhealth.datafree.co)
• Membership is limited to the employees and dependants of the participating employer groups in the platinum and chrome mining industries; the CMS register also lists Platinum Health as RESTRICTED. (platinumhealth.datafree.co)
• Platinum Health runs as a staff-model health maintenance organisation with its own facilities, healthcare professionals and pharmacies. (platinumhealth.datafree.co)
• On PlatComprehensive and PlatCap, members living within 50km of Platinum Health facilities or DSPs must use them; PlatFreedom members may use any provider. (platinumhealth.datafree.co)
• PlatFreedom benefits are no longer tied to the overall annual limit; only in-hospital benefits and certain specified benefits are subject to an overall annual limit of R1 221 241 per member family. (platinumhealth.datafree.co)
• The 2026 option brochures are effective from 1 January 2026. (platinumhealth.datafree.co)
• The scheme's solvency margin was 38% at the end of 2024 (41% in 2023), against the statutory 25% minimum; 2024 is the latest annual statement published on the site. (platinumhealth.datafree.co)
• Platinum Health is a large restricted scheme: 56 387 members and 103 161 beneficiaries at 31 December 2024. (platinumhealth.datafree.co)
• The CMS register at 31 March 2025 lists Platinum Health as a RESTRICTED scheme. (medicalschemes.co.za)
• Members can carry a virtual membership card on WhatsApp 080 000 6942. (platinumhealth.datafree.co)

Platinum Health Medical Scheme publishes 3 benefit options for 2026. Prices are the monthly contribution for a main member as published by Platinum Health. Adult and child dependants pay extra. Checked on 29 September 2026.

Sources: platinumhealth.datafree.co/...MS_PLATCAP-OPTION-2026-1.pdf, platinumhealth.datafree.co/...PLATCOMPREHENSIVE-2026-1.pdf, platinumhealth.datafree.co/.../PHMS_PLATFREEDOM-2026-3.pdf.

Contributions are salary-banded on all three, and adult dependants pay the same as the principal member on PlatCap and PlatComprehensive. Prices are in the plans table on this page. The 2026 option brochures are effective from 1 January 2026.

Checked on 29 September 2026 against Platinum Health's official website. Numbers change, so confirm on the linked page before you call. A scheme will not ask you to pay into a new bank account over the phone: hang up and call the official number if anything feels off.

Sources: platinumhealth.datafree.co/contact-us. All schemes' numbers are on our medical aid contact numbers page.

Platinum Health's model is different from a typical open scheme. On PlatCap and PlatComprehensive, members who live within 50 km of a Platinum Health facility or DSP must use them. Only PlatFreedom lets you use any healthcare provider.

If you live outside that radius, or in an emergency, the rules for involuntary use of a non-DSP apply. In law, if the DSP cannot treat you without unreasonable delay, or there is no DSP within reasonable reach of your home or work, you should not be penalised. In an emergency you may go to the nearest facility and the scheme must cover the cost. See our guide to designated service providers and emergency and ambulance cover.

Hospital and specialist authorisations go through the case management department. Members can request authorisations over WhatsApp, and the contact table lists the line. Emergency ambulance services are provided by AZOZA.

Platinum Health's day-to-day care comes mainly through its own facilities and pharmacies, and the option summaries we read do not mention a personal savings account. On PlatCap that means unlimited GP visits at its facilities or DSPs. On PlatFreedom, only in-hospital and certain specified benefits fall under the overall annual limit.

Members can carry a virtual membership card on WhatsApp. We found no mobile app. Because the model relies on the scheme's own facilities, where you live matters more than the plan name: check how far the nearest facility is before you compare options.

Chronic medication is dispensed through the Platinum Health Medical Centre Pharmacy, and PlatComprehensive covers acute and chronic medication per the scheme formulary. Use the chronic medication line in the contact table to get a condition authorised.

Every option must pay PMB diagnosis, treatment and care in full, without co-payment or deductible, at a DSP. That is a legal floor across all registered schemes. See prescribed minimum benefits and chronic disease benefits.

We could not verify maternity benefits or limits for any option. If you are planning a pregnancy, ask the scheme in writing which option covers antenatal care and delivery, at which facility, and whether a waiting period applies. See our medical aid for pregnancy guide.

For 2026 the option brochures took effect on 1 January 2026, and PlatFreedom's benefits are no longer tied to the overall annual limit, apart from in-hospital and specified benefits. We found no published 2026 or 2027 average contribution increase for the scheme. The latest annual statements on its site are for 2024. The solvency margin was 38% at the end of 2024 (41% in 2023), against the 25% statutory minimum.

For 2027, the CMS recommended in Circular 20 of 2026 that increases be anchored at 3.8%, a benchmark and not a hard cap. It acknowledges that private medical inflation typically runs 2 to 3 percentage points above CPI. See our 2027 increases page.

• Sasolmed: another restricted scheme, for Sasol South Africa employees and pensioners, so it is only an option if you work there. See Sasolmed.
• Thebemed: an open scheme that says it serves low- and middle-income workers, mainly in mining, logistics and agriculture. It was under CMS curatorship from 2019 to 2022. See Thebemed.
• Bonitas: a large open scheme that anyone can join. See Bonitas.

The main difference is how you get care. Platinum Health gives you scheme-run facilities and a tight DSP model, while open schemes usually give you a network of private providers. Which is better depends on how close you live to a facility.

You join through your employer group. Ask HR for the option rules that apply to you. The Act sets these ceilings, but scheme rules decide what is applied, so check whether waiting periods apply to you. The Medical Schemes Act sets the ceilings. If you have had no cover for 90 days or more, or have never had cover, a scheme may impose a general waiting period of up to three months and a condition-specific waiting period of up to 12 months. These are maximums, and a scheme may impose shorter periods or none. Switching within 90 days does not wipe waiting periods out: after up to 24 months of earlier cover the new scheme may still impose a condition-specific period of up to 12 months, and after more than 24 months it may still impose a general period of up to three months. Neither can be applied to treatment of Prescribed Minimum Benefits (PMBs). There is no waiting period when you move between options on the same scheme, or for a baby born while you are a member. Read more in waiting periods and exclusions.

Late-joiner penalties. A late joiner is someone aged 35 or older when they apply, without earlier cover. The loading is a percentage of that adult's own part of the contribution only, and the maximum depends on the years you were uncovered after 35, less any years of cover you can prove: 1 to 4 years is 5%, 5 to 14 years is 25%, 15 to 24 years is 50% and 25 years or more is 75%. Example: a 45-year-old with no proof of earlier cover has 10 years to count (45 minus 35), which falls in the 5 to 14 year band, so the maximum loading is 25%. A sworn affidavit can prove earlier cover if the documents are gone, and the penalty can follow you to another scheme. See the late joiner penalty guide.

Tax credit. For the 2026/27 tax year (1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027) the medical scheme fees tax credit is R376 a month for you, R752 a month for you and one dependant together, and R254 a month for each additional dependant. It only reduces the tax you owe and cannot be carried over. Details are in the medical aid tax credit guide.

Complaints. If something goes wrong, raise it with Platinum Health first and keep a written record. Start with the membership or case management line listed on this page. If you are not satisfied after using the scheme's own complaints process, you can complain to the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), the regulator. Send a completed complaint form with proof that you took it up with the scheme to [email protected], or phone the CMS on 0861 123 267 (Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:30). The CMS acknowledges a complaint in writing within 6 working days, asks the scheme to comment, and aims to finish within 120 calendar days of receiving the scheme's response and documents. Clinically urgent complaints are handled urgently. Our CMS complaints guide explains each step.