LA Health Medical Scheme 2023 annual general meeting (AGM)

The AGM provides a platform for members and other stakeholders to receive feedback from the Trustees about the Scheme' financial performance and other key measures and to engage in crucial decision making processes.

We held our AGM on 29 June 2023. Despite a lower-than-expected member turnout, the AGM went very well. Thank you to our members who joined us and participated in the AGM.

The Chairperson, Mr Gawie Beukman, presented his report and reflected on the success of LA Health's sustained growth (100 000 members in early 2023). The Chairperson also gave credit to the Board of Trustees (BoT), the Scheme's management team, our service providers for their continued dedication and members for their support. The Principal Officer (PO), Mr André de Koker, presented the annual financial statements (AFS), providing a detailed overview of the Scheme's performance in 2022.

These are some noteworthy points mentioned:

• Membership grew from 16 800 (in 2004) to more than 100 000 principal members in 2023.
• The Scheme is sustainable with a 53% solvency. The solvency is an indicator of reserves that are held by the Scheme in excess of its operating requirements.
• Non-healthcare expenditure is mainained well below the statutory limit. This is the cost of running the Scheme and relates mainly to administration and managed care expenses, but also to Trustee remuneration, audit fees and fees paid in respect of advisory services.
• The Scheme ended the year reporting a healthy surplus on operational results.

In 2021/2022, to make sure that members were receiving value for money, the Scheme requested tenders for administration and managed healthcare services. Through this process the bids of various providers were considered and their service offerings evaluated. The Board was comfortable to appoint Discovery Health as the Scheme's administrator and managed care organisation for a further period.

The AGM is often viewed as a formality or even an inconvenience, but attendance at these meetings is an important part of your membership and should be viewed as such. These yearly meetings allow members to ask important questions, engage on decisions made and how the Scheme is managed.

We will notify you of the 2024 AGM when the time comes and would be pleased if you could join us at that important meeting.

2024 is a Trustee election year

In 2024, we will call for nominations to elect new Trustees to serve on the Board. We will ask you to nominate and vote for fellow members of the Scheme who would be 'fit and proper' to serve as Trustees. The candidates you nominate must be people who show honesty, integrity, and have the necessary skills, expertise, and knowledge to properly discharge their responsibilities, and who are in good standing.

There are ethical and regulatory guidelines to follow in an election process. Members must be weary of, and not get involved in any unethical conduct involving the nomination and election of Trustees. You are encouraged to report such conduct to the Scheme immediately.

The nomination communication will be sent early in 2024. We have partnered with Lumi to send this communication to you.
Please look out for it!