Being a member of a medical aid does not entitle you to walk into a hospital and demand hospitalisation unless it is a medical emergency. Hospitalisation is costly and medical aids carefully regulate which patients are to be hospitalised. This largely depends on the request by the attending doctor and medical reasons that make hospitalisation a necessity. Medical aids require members to pre-authorise a hospital visit or procedures that are to be done in hospital. However with emergency medical situations, authorisation is only requested once the patient is admitted to the hospital.

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