For a quarter of a century, Platinum Health Medical Scheme has been delivering meaningful value to mining employees and their families in the Platinum and Chrome industry.

As a longstanding partner deeply embedded in the mining community, the organisation is committed to providing accessible, compassionate care. Mining requires immense physical effort and often takes place in remote or challenging environments, making reliable medical support absolutely essential. A dedicated health partner ensures workers maintain their well-being and gives their families peace of mind.

In this Q&A, Platinum Health’s CEO, Rodney Gounden, and Principal Officer, Welcome Mboniso, detail the organisation’s origins, impact, and ongoing evolution. They explain how their model supports the industry and share their vision for the future of healthcare for miners in South Africa.

An Interview with Platinum Health Leadership

Delivering affordable healthcare to mining communities requires a deep understanding of the industry’s unique challenges and a commitment to continuous improvement.

We sat down with the leadership team to learn more about their approach.

1. Can you share the origin story of Platinum Health? How and why the Scheme was first established, and its evolution since then?

Originally known as the Platmed Benefit Society (while still under the auspices of the Anglo-American Group), the Scheme covered officials and senior staff, while other employees leveraged Mine Healthcare Benefits. These two Schemes were combined as one in 2000, with Platinum Health Medical Scheme launched as a self-administering scheme the following year.

Today, the organisation provides workplace healthcare, a medical scheme, and even owns its own pharmacy group. This makes it a leading Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) in the country.

The Scheme also provides occupational health services, aligning its offerings with the needs of our partners that require their workforce to remain healthy and efficient.

2. Platinum Health operates on a Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) model. Why was this model chosen, and how does it benefit members in the Platinum and Chrome industry?

As an HMO, we employ our very own doctors, nurses, psychologists, etc., so we reap the benefit of offering a system that doesn’t charge exorbitant fees, keeps costs low, and offers more extensive benefits.

We can deliver better economies of scale, offering across-the-board care with our plans that include unlimited access to GPs, medication, and hospitalisation. In addition, we have local clinics in the communities where our employees live, making access to these facilities easy.

Lastly, we also offer wellness programmes, where employees talk to us about their various challenges. This information enables us to better understand each member’s journey within the Scheme, and to make their health journey that much more personal.

3. Platinum Health believes in ‘caring for the community’. What does this look like in practice, and can you share examples of your positive impacts within these communities?

Our biggest success has been our HIV management programme. We have met and exceeded the UNAIDS targets for HIV management, where the aim is for 95% of people living with HIV to know their status, 95% of those diagnosed to receive antiretroviral therapy (ART), 95% of those on ART to achieve viral suppression (95/95/95). At Platinum Health, we achieved these targets in 2024 and are now closer to 97/97/97.

We also have chronic management programmes that we run in the same manner as the HIV one. And while this may cost more upfront when it comes to identifying conditions, conducting pathology tests, and putting patients on treatment, it also means that they live longer, healthier lives, and our long-term costs are reduced, as they suffer fewer medical issues later in life.

4. How is Platinum Health evolving to meet the future healthcare needs of mining employees, and how do you expect its heritage to define its identity going forward?

The Scheme is strengthening its teams with data scientists, so we can leverage the rich data we obtain from managing patients throughout their employment more effectively, to improve their lives further.

By leveraging this data effectively, we can create individualised health pathways for patients and, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), better predict and recognise early warning signs in high-risk patients, enabling proactive treatment.

As we evolve, we will continue to define ourselves as a low-cost/high benefits scheme that also delivers the supporting infrastructure and interventions required to keep our members and the communities they live in healthier and happier.

Securing a Healthier Future for Mining Communities

Platinum Health Medical Scheme has spent the last 25 years proving that accessible, compassionate care can transform lives.

By utilising a Health Maintenance Organisation model, the organisation successfully keeps costs low while offering extensive, unlimited benefits to its members. Our proactive approach to chronic illness and HIV management demonstrates a clear commitment to long-term community wellbeing. Furthermore, our integration of data science and AI demonstrates our readiness to proactively adapt and improve patient outcomes.

Providing sustainable, affordable health care for the mining sector remains a critical priority. Organisations that prioritise the well-being of their workforce create stronger, more resilient communities.

If you want to learn more about how comprehensive medical benefits can support your workforce, discover the full range of services offered by Platinum Health Medical Scheme today.