According to recent data by Stats SA, 17% or 9.5 million South Africans belonged to a Medical Aid scheme in 2016. That means over 45 million people were without Medical Aid. The report also shows that although there are various public health facilities that service those without Medical Aid, half of South Africa’s health professionals service the 17% of South Africans who have medical cover.

“There are various factors such as unemployment, economic climate and lack of affordability that impact whether someone can afford membership to a medical scheme or not”, says John October, Chief Executive of online insurance and financial comparison website, Hippo.co.za, “But in many cases, people simply have no choice but to belong to a Medical Aid scheme. Many have to take compulsory schemes through their employers or have the need for specific medical care or treatment that they cannot afford as an out-of-pocket expense.”

So what can consumers do to help minimise Medical Aid costs? Hippo.co.za provides some tips:

• If you need Medical Aid or you are up for renewal on your existing scheme, do not simply consider going with the provider you know. Compare costs and benefits for your specific needs from at least three different providers to ensure that you are not paying too much for the same cover.
• Consider your health requirements for the next twelve months to ensure you will be adequately covered by your Medical Aid. For example, if you are planning on starting a family, ensure that your Medical Aid includes adequate cover for gyneacologist consultations, scans and tests at the time of commencement or renewal. If not, you may be charged more to upgrade at a later stage or have to pay for these costs yourself.
• Should you be at a stage where your children are financially independent and need to be removed from your Medical Aid, consider re-evaluating your overall cover as you may no longer need certain benefits.
• If you have a Medical Aid plan that provides a savings account for out-of-hospital medical expenses such as doctors’ visits and medication, it could get depleted quite quickly. Manage your savings by visiting doctors with lower rates and comparing the cost of medication at the practitioner’s pharmacy with that of a local pharmacy outlet to determine the lowest cost.

“As October is the month where you can start reviewing your Medical Aid before renewal, now is a good time to consider your options and shop around for the best possible rates from a range of South African Medical Aid providers,” concludes October.

Established in 2007, Hippo.co.za is South Africa’s leading comparison website that helps consumers save money by comparing a range of South African providers across financial products such as Car Insurance, Household Insurance, Life Insurance, Medical Aid and more. Hippo.co.za is free to use and saves consumers the time and hassle of shopping around for the best deal since the Hippo.co.za website instantly retrieves real-time quotes from the different providers using the latest Internet technology. You could save hundreds of Rands per month* on your Car Insurance alone by using Hippo.co.za to compare before you buy or switch to a new provider.

Hippo.co.za makes money by simply charging its partners a fee when a customer chooses to find out more about their products. The results consumers see, and the order in which they are presented, are in no way influenced by the fee Hippo.co.za charges its partners or any other factors other than the price of the product being compared.

For more information, visit us on www.hippo.co.za, connect with Hippo.co.za on LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/company/hippo-comparative-services-pty-ltd/, like us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/HippoSA, and follow us on Twitter, @Hippo_co_za and YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/user/hippocompare.

Hippo Comparative Services (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial services provider (FSP number: 16357).

Terms and Conditions apply.

*Based on 2017 independent market research conducted by Kaufman Levin Associates.

Range of pre-prepared cable assemblies for popular Molex connector families provides cost-effective solution for markets including communications, consumer and industrial 

Johannesburg, South Africa, 24 August, 2017 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, has announced availability of a number of pre-prepared cable assemblies that provide compatible solutions for key product ranges from Molex, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of connectors and interconnection components. 

Targeting a wide range of applications in industries including automotive, consumer, defence, industrial and medical, as well as telecommunications and networking, the new Molex range of pre-terminated cables makes it even easier for engineers to adopt interconnection components in new and existing designs, removing the need for expensive tooling, long production times and laborious testing procedures. 

The wire-to-board cable assemblies have been designed with terminations chosen to work with some of Molex's most popular interconnection families. These include the FIT range (Micro-FIT, Mini-FIT Jr. Nano-FIT and Mega-Fit), as well as the CLIK-Mate and Micro-Clasp and Pico-Clasp connector ranges. 

The Molex pre-terminated cable assemblies are now available from RS. 

 -- Ends --

About RS Components 

RS Components is the market leader in the high service level distribution of electrical, electronic, mechanical, tools and industrial products. Operating in 26 countries whilst serving a further 100 through third-party distributors, RS serves every sector of industry in the procurement of their products relating to maintenance, repair, operations, low volume production, research and development.   

With over 500 000 products across 2500 leading brands, the company is committed to ensuring that their 1,5 million customers have fast access to a broad, as well as deep range, of products and technologies, all under one roof. RS’s customers, whether ordering single or multiple items, experience a quick, easy, secure, painless and cost effective process. 

The RS catalogue, available at za.rs-online.com, offers full colour pictures with extensive clear product specifications.  Free access to thousands of datasheets ensures the correct product choice. 

Order placement is easily facilitated through za.rs-online.com, the call centre, e-mail, fax and trade counter.  Locally held stock is delivered to customers within 24 hours, and products held internationally, within four to six working days.    

It is proven that departments traditionally spend 80% of their time sourcing products that account for only 20% of their total procurement spend. RS is focussed on reducing the customers “total cost of product ownership” by reducing the need to make multiple calls to various companies to source products, reducing supplier related administration and allowing for the amalgamation as well as consolidation of supplier bases.  

Through this process, procurement efficiency is improved and time is freed up to concentrate on the more important business decisions.  For more information, please visit the website at za.rs-online.com  

Press Office
Le-andra Olivier
PR and Communications Specialist
RS Components South Africa
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+27 11 691 9345 

Further information is available via these links

• Twitter: @rsonline_SA; @DesignSparkRS
• Facebook: facebook.com/rssouthafrica/
• RS Components on LinkedIn -
• http://www.linkedin.com/company/rscoms 

Relevant Links
RSPro
RS Components South Africa
www.electrocomponents.com
DesignSpark Magazine - http://www.designspark.com

Econorisk and Watershed have teamed up once again, this time to raise money for the Breatheasy Tracheostomy and Ventilation Homecare Programme and the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.  

On 24 November at 19h00 South African music sensation, Watershed, will take to the stage at the Rockwell Hotel theatre to perform for this life-changing charitable initiative made possible by Econorisk, a leading short-term insurance brokerage.  

Developed by Sister Jane Booth, the Breatheasy Programme provides parents of children reliant on tracheostomy or artificial ventilation for breathing, with the tools and skills needed to enable their children to enjoy life at home, surrounded by their families, rather than in hospital.  

Steven Hall, who brought the Breatheasy Programme to the attention of Brett Schultz, Director at Econorisk, explains how the event came about: "As a way of saying thank you for the care my mother received in hospital before she passed away, I wanted to find a cause which I could support - paying it forward, by raising awareness for an organisation helping the community and those in need. That is when I came across the Breatheasy Programme for children in South Africa whose lives are affected by breathing complications.  

"I decided to take part in half and full ironman events to create an even greater awareness of the Breatheasy Programme and their challenges and to raise funding for them. When I approached Brett he was immediately on board.  He shares a passion for sport, and wanting to make a difference for those in need. Econorisk sponsored my entry fees for the 70.3 season, but Brett also wanted to get other companies involved. His vision was to create an event in which we could platform the Breatheasy Programme to create more awareness, as well as establish additional fundraising opportunities. That is how the concert with Watershed came about."  

Not only is the Breatheasy Programme supporting the community and changing lives, but it is also a good fit with Econorisk’s brand values, as Brett explains:   

“At Econorisk, we pride ourselves on providing holistic insurance solutions to clients, giving them peace of mind and the reassurance that they are covered in case of any unwelcome future events ... thereby helping them breathe a little easier. I therefore knew immediately that the Breatheasy Programme was the right initiative for Econorisk to back.  

“I have known Craig Hinds for many years and, having worked with Watershed on a previous Econorisk fundraiser event in 2014 in support of up and coming South African Paralympic hopeful, Nicole Sanders, I approached him with the idea of another concert, which he wholeheartedly supported. And so the planning began.”  

The Breatheasy with Econorisk fundraiser concert with Watershed takes place on 24 November 2016 at 18.30 for 19h00 at the Rockwell Hotel theatre in Greenpoint, Cape Town. Proceeds raised will be used to purchase vital medical equipment such as ventilators, suction machines and humidifiers for the Programme that has been caring for children with a wide range of respiratory disorders for over two decades.    

“I believe that many South Africans have the desire to make a positive difference in others lives, but don’t always know how to,” says Steven. “Through this platform, we are giving people the opportunity to make this difference – and to have a good time whilst doing so.”  

Brett concludes: “Whilst it may come naturally to many of us, for some the simple act of breathing is sadly difficult or even impossible. Econorisk is incredibly proud to support the Breatheasy Programme and we invite companies and individuals to enjoy the sounds of Watershed for this life-changing cause.”  

Visit the QUICKET ticket line: http://qkt.io/econorisk-breatheasy to book your tickets for the Breatheasy with Econorisk concert with Watershed, 24 November 2016, 18.30 for 19h00, the Rockwell Hotel theatre, De Waterkant Village, Greenpoint, Cape Town. Tickets cost R650 per person, inclusive of a three course meal. Cash bar available. Alcohol will not be served to persons under the age of 18. Proof of age may be required. Tickets are limited so don't delay.    

Join us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ec_breatheasy 

Like and share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecbreatheasy/ 

- Ends -  

Press enquiries contact:  

Georgina Swain:
Email:   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
Mobile: 076 349 4065   

Images available upon request.  

About the sponsor:  

Econorisk

Econorisk is a leading independent insurance broking business focusing on commercial and corporate insurance and providing speciality and niche insurance and risk management solutions to companies. The company has also developed expertise in domestic insurance especially to high net-worth individuals. For more information, visit www.econorisk.co.za  

Event supported by:  

Watershed Watershed is one of the most popular music exports our Rainbow Nation has to offer. For more information, visit www.watershed.co.za  

Striped Horse Craft beer. For more information, visit www.stripedhorse.co.za    

Jetline Jetline is a cutting edge on-demand printing company providing advanced print and design solutions. With branches nationwide, Jetline serves the general public, small, medium and large businesses and government institutions. The vast range of products and services offered include: graphic design, full colour and black & white printing, corporate stationery, document duplication and binding (large quantities), PhotoBooks, banners and signs, posters, vinyl and contravision, vehicle branding, website design and much, much more! For further information, visit: www.jetline.co.za  

The Rockwell The Rockwell is a 4 star hotel in Cape Town, situated in the trendy De Waterkant Village in Greenpoint, near the V&A Waterfront. For more information, visit: www.rockwellhotel.co.za  

Flagstone Flagstone is a small but frequently awarded winery with a selection of wines built around winemaker Bruce Jack's philosophy of hand-crafted wine-making. For more information, visit: www.flagstonewines.com  

Tangent Marketing Marketing and event management. For more information, contact: Julia Ledingham +27 (82) 8876376