Summary table | PASS PC 1 - 6 (permanent and T2) | PASS PC 7 - 12 (permanent and T2) | Academic (permanent and T2) |
T1 (PASS and academic) | University primary healthcare insurance |University's medical aid scheme
| PASS Payclass and Academic | Contract type | Medical aid cover | Annual proof of membership | Post-retirement medical aid subsidy (Not applicable to staff members appointed from 1 January 2018) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PASS PC 1 - 6 | Permanent |
Compulsory UCT primary healthcare membership. Approved exemption:
|
Required if not a main member on UCT primary healthcare. Current certificate of membership is the only accepted proof of cover. |
Only qualify if continuously on UCT medical aid scheme OR external registered South African medical aid scheme with proof of continuous cover. Must move back on to UCT medical aid scheme prior to retirement. UCT primary healthcare is not a registered medical aid scheme and does not count towards continuous cover. |
| T2 | Not applicable to staff on T2 contracts | |||
| PASS PC 7 - 12 | Permanent | Compulsory as main member or spouse/partner dependant on either UCT medical aid scheme OR external registered South African medical aid scheme. |
Required if not a main member on UCT medical aid scheme. Current certificate of membership is the only accepted proof of cover. |
Only qualify if continuously on UCT medical aid scheme OR external registered South African medical aid scheme. Must move back on to UCT medical aid scheme prior to retirement. |
| T2 | Compulsory as main member or spouse/partner dependant on either UCT medical aid scheme OR external registered South African medical aid scheme. |
Required if not a main member on UCT medical aid scheme. Current certificate of membership is the only accepted proof of cover. |
Not applicable to staff on T2 contracts | |
| Academic | Permanent | Compulsory as main member or spouse/ partner dependent on either UCT medical aid scheme OR external registered South African medical aid scheme. |
Required if not a main member on UCT medical aid scheme. Current certificate of membership is the only accepted proof of cover. |
If not a main member on UCT medical aid scheme, must move on to UCT medical aid scheme prior to retirement. |
| T2 | Compulsory as main member or spouse/partner dependant on either UCT medical aid scheme OR external registered South African medical aid scheme. |
Required if not a main member on UCT medical aid scheme. Current certificate of membership is the only accepted proof of cover. |
Not applicable to staff on T2 contracts | |
| EXEMPTION APPROVED | ||||
| ALL | Permanent and T2 |
PASS staff and Academic staff on contract of 20 hours or less per week are exempt from the requirements to join the UCT primary healthcare insurance or a registered South African medical aid scheme. |
None required |
Only qualify if continuously on UCT medical aid scheme OR external registered South African medical aid scheme with proof of continuous cover. Must move back on to UCT medical aid scheme prior to retirement. Cover on the UCT primary healthcare insurance is not a registered medical aid scheme and does not count towards continuous cover. |
| ALL | T2 | Not applicable to staff on T2 contracts | ||
PASS PC 1 - 6 (permanent and T2)
PASS staff members in pay classes 1 to 6 on permanent and T2 conditions of service must join the UCT primary healthcare as either the main member or spouse/partner dependant.
Permanent staff employed before 1 January 2018 who elect to join the UCT primary healthcare over the medical aid cover do not qualify for a post-retirement medical aid subsidy. To qualify for the subsidy, the staff member must have proven continuous medical aid cover (either UCT medical aid scheme or an external registered South African medical aid scheme) and must move on to the UCT medical aid scheme prior to retirement.
Those who elect not to join the University's primary healthcare or medical aid scheme will be required to provide proof of medical aid membership annually. Where external cover cannot be confirmed, the staff member will be in breach of conditions of employment and further action will be taken.
Approved exemption: Staff in pay classes 2-6 on permanent or T2 conditions of service on contract of 20 hours or less per week are exempted from belonging to a registered SA medical aid scheme or the UCT primary healthcare per the policy above.
PASS PC 7 - 12 (permanent and T2) and academic clinical
PASS staff members in pay classes 7 to 12 on permanent and T2 conditions of service are required to become members of either the University's medical aid scheme or another external registered South African medical aid scheme as either the main member or spouse/partner dependant only. Those who elect not to join the University’s medical aid scheme will be requested to provide proof of medical aid membership annually. Where external cover cannot be confirmed, the staff member will be in breach of conditions of employment and further action will be taken.
Permanent staff members employed before 1 January 2018, who qualify for a post-retirement medical aid subsidy and have external medical aid cover, must move back onto the University’s medical aid scheme before retirement in order to access the subsidy. This move may incur penalties, waiting periods and/or exclusions as determined by the University’s medical aid scheme.
Approved exemption: Staff in pay classes 7-12 and academic clinical, on permanent or T2 conditions of service, on contract of 20 hours or less per week are exempted from belonging to a registered SA medical aid scheme per the policy above.
Academic staff members on permanent conditions of service are required to become members of the University's medical aid scheme unless they provide proof of membership as a main member or spouse/ partner dependant on an external registered South African medical aid scheme.
Academic staff members on T2 conditions of service are required to become members of the University's medical aid scheme unless they provide proof of membership as a main member or spouse/partner dependant on an external registered South African medical aid scheme.
Those who elect not to join the University’s medical aid scheme will be requested to provide proof of medical aid membership annually. Where external cover cannot be confirmed, the staff member will be in breach of conditions of employment and further action will be taken.
Approved exemption: Academic staff on permanent or T2 conditions of service on contract of 20 hours or less per week are exempted from belonging to a registered SA medical aid scheme per the policy above.
Staff members on T1 conditions of service do not qualify to belong to UCT's medical aid scheme, therefore any staff member changing from T2 or permanent conditions of service must transfer their medical aid membership to private capacity.
University's primary healthcare insurance
The current primary healthcare provider to UCT is Kaelo Health MyHealth Plus.
For information on the UCT primary healthcare insurance benefits and cost, visit our Primary Healthcare Policy Page.
University's medical aid scheme
The current university scheme is Discovery Health, and staff may elect one of 25 options. In terms of the rules of the scheme, all contributions are paid by the employer. Staff will receive tax relief as determined by the South African Revenue Service (SARS). The cost of the medical aid premium is a deduction from the staff member's monthly salary. Where a staff member has changes to the plan selection or in his/her number of dependants during the year, the medical aid premium will be adjusted accordingly.
For information on the medical aid health plans and benefits, visit our Discovery Health page.
For information on the UCT medical aid subsidy (post-retirement or death in service), visit our Medical aid subsidy page.
Page last updated: 06 June 2024