Fedhealth is pleased to be one of the first open medical schemes in South Africa to offer precision medicine-based genetic testing directly to its members, through Intelligene, a South African medical bio-tech company that specialises in genetic testing.

The Scheme is offering this benefit to its members in order to 1) improve their nutrition, lifestyle and wellness, 2) identify possible predispositions they might have to certain health conditions, and 3) ensure that they receive the optimal treatment for chronic conditions based on their genetic makeup.

We are currently running the following Intelligene initiatives amongst the Fedhealth member base:

• Hypertension pilot group: We have invited a number of members who are on antihypertensive treatment to take part in a hypertensive pilot programme in order to determine whether their current treatment is the most effective treatment available to them as part of their Fedhealth benefits. These members receive a free gene test covered by the Scheme.

• Chronic cohort programme: We have identified selected members who are registered on the Scheme’s chronic benefit with either hypertension, hyperlipaedimia, diabetes or depression, and have invited them to undergo a gene test to test for drug-to-person interaction. This will help us determine whether the medication prescribed is the most effective way to manage their condition. These members receive a free gene test covered by the Scheme.

A communication has also been sent out to healthcare providers who may have patients opting to undergo the gene test to keep them in the loop.

• All members: All Fedhealth members have been invited to undergo a gene test in order to get a better understanding of their overall health and wellbeing, nutrion and fitness, and predisposition to certain diseases, e.g. breast cancer. The cost of the gene test will be for the member’s pocket, but it can be claimed back from the member’s available day-to-day benefits.

For more information, you can also visit the Fedhealth website.

We are very excited about the potential health gains for our members offered by gene testing!