Yolande Lemmer
Company Secretary

Yolande, a qualified lawyer, joins SAMA with wide-ranging experience in the legal, corporate governance, compliance and risk management fields.

Embarking on her working career at a legal firm at the age of 18, she simultaneously started her studies through UNISA.

Over a number of years she obtained a BA (Law) degree, then a B Proc and thereafter an LLB, whilst simultaneously gaining practical experience, inter alia as professional assistant, editor, business owner, legal advisor, assistant company secretary and eventually group company secretary.

She was admitted as an advocate in 1999, but left private practice in favour of raising her son in a more time-structured environment within the corporate arena.

Passionate about good corporate governance practices, on the one hand, and the absolute importance of “human capital”, on the other, Yolande believes the ultimate challenge and achievement in a corporate environment revolves around the successful integration of these two elements.

As such she also believes that the role of Company Secretary extends beyond that of a mere “watch dog” – excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills are needed to develop positive relations within an optimally functioning corporate governance environment.

The SAMA Secretariat is situated in Pretoria with a full-time staff of 58 and 4 fixed term. The General Manager is the head of the Secretariat and directs and administers the affairs of the Association within the framework of operating policies established by National Council and the Board of Directors. The General Manager also exercises control over all matters concerning the administration and management of the office and staff.

Enquiries:
Adv. Yolande Lemmer yolandel@samedical.org
27 (0) 12 481 2045

Governance and Legal Team

PA and Administrative Assistant        Senior Legal Advisor
Sonette Viljoen                                      Mr. Julian Botha               Legal Advisor Legal Administrative Assistant
                                                 Ms.Marli Smit             Ms. Karlien Pienaar

Coding Department

Leonie Maritz Zandile Dube

The Coding Department is a division of the Private Practice Unit. Every year the department updates the coding structure and guideline fees in its annual Doctors Billing Manual based on recommendations and information received from the general practitioners group and the various specialist and special interest groups. Publications produced by the Unit include the Doctors' Billing Manual, which contains some interpretations of the coding structure, and the Complete CPT for South Africa (CCSA).

The Coding Department also:

Compiles and maintains the coding structures as used by medical doctors in SA, (CCSA and SAMA) with a view to providing a viable coding structure that will facilitate payment to service providers by medical schemes
Provides coding support to service providers and medical schemes regarding appropriate codes for services rendered as well as interpretations of the rules, modifiers and codes in the coding structures
Provides support on ICD-10 diagnostic coding
Assists patients with queries regarding accounts rendered by doctors
Supports doctors in general and on private practice matters in particular, regarding problems with payment of accounts by medical schemes, COIDA and RAF amongst others.

Enquiries
Leonie Maritz or Zandile Dube coding@samedical.org
+27 (0) 12 481 2073

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Accreditation Unit

Priscilla Sekhonyane

The Health Professions Council of South Africa implemented a compulsory programme for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for doctors in 1999. The objective of the CPD programme is to improve patient care and simultaneously ensure that members of the medical profession are maintaining and improving their skills. SAMA fully supports this programme as a worthwhile development in the practice of medicine, and believes that all doctors should maintain clinical competence and professional ethics and the provision of quality health care throughout their careers. The Association is an approved accreditor for CPD activities and a member of the HPCSA Accreditors Forum that meets regularly to address issues pertaining to the programme.

Enquiries
Priscilla priscillas@samedical.org
+27 (0) 12 481 2026

Corporate Communication Unit

Bonga Zungu Sinenhlanhla Gumede Roy Watson

The Corporate Communications unit utilises various tools to ensure that SAMA communiqués reach our members.
The SAMA Insider magazine is the voice of SAMA and keeps members up to date of current developments in the Association and healthcare sector. Members of SAMA receive the Insider on a monthly basis via the same mailing as the SAMJ.
The SAMA website is updated on a daily basis with pertinent information for both private and public sector members.
The SAMA Med-e-Mail and Medigram are electronic communications sent to members via email, which contain must-have information.
This unit is also responsible for PR and media relations.
The Corporate Communications Unit is also involved in managing a number of events and public relations initiatives each year - the annual SAMA conference, golf days, merit awards and merit awards dinner, photography competition, health awareness days and more.

Enquiries
Head of Marketing and Communications
Bonga Zungu Bongaz@samedical.org
+27 (0) 12 481 2068

Human Rights, Law and Ethics Unit

Legal expertise in SAMA's Human Rights, Law and Ethics Unit offers doctors access to a wealth of information in health-related legislation, regulation, guidelines and policy documents. This unit co-ordinates the Human Rights, Law and Ethics Committee that participates widely in discussions with government and other role-players on proposed legislation, statutes, regulations and guidelines that affect both the doctor and the patient in health care delivery.

The Human Rights, Law and Ethics Unit interacts with and co-ordinates liaison between SAMA and the Health Professions Council of South Africa and its Medical and Dental Professional Board on ethical guidelines and rules of Council. It plays a major role in advising individuals and institutions in the health care environment and assists16 500+ members and 9 standing committees and other SAMA structures on human rights, legal and ethical issues within the medical field.

Services include:

Giving legal and ethics advice and assistance (contracts, medical schemes, access to information, forms of practice, credit control, HPCSA policies and rulings, advertising, medical ethics, dispensing, tax, etc)
Advising on health policy and legislation issues (National Health Insurance, Certificate of Need, treatment guidelines, tobacco legislation, traditional healers, medicines control regulations, dispensing)
Assisting with human rights, law and ethics committee matters (HIV, violence, clinical independence/dual loyalty, certificates, prisons, informed consent, confidentiality, and research ethics [procedure for submitting protocols], patient info leaflets, gender violence)
Educating doctors and compile and disseminate information relevant to doctors and practices
Providing HIV Guidelines for doctors
Advising and distributing information on forms of practices and consequences (who may employ whom, and who may work with whom)
Advising on death and sick certificates, doctors and patient rights
Giving advice on legislation dealing with euthanasia, termination of pregnancy and sterilisation, and other laws and regulations such as the Promotion of Access to Information Act
Guidance and advice on rulings by the Medical and Dental Professional Board (MDPB), such as on Perverse Incentives and Notifications/Advertising.

The Unit works in conjunction with outside interest parties and stakeholders, assist elected leaders, groups and branches in meetings with such third parties and provide necessary back-up and feedback, including:

Council for Medical Schemes
Department of Health
Departments of Correctional Services and Justice
Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) with whom all doctors must register before they may practise.
Medical schemes and administrators
Hospital Association of South Africa and other professional associations
Law firms and other advisors.

Enquiries
Karlien Pienaar karlienp@samedical.org
+27 (0) 12 481 2097

Julian Botha julianb@samedical.org
+27 (0) 12 481 2090

Public Sector Unit

SAMA is a registered trade union affiliated to COSATU for its members employed in the public sector. The Public Sector Unit provides members with information on the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and other legislation that regulate employment in the public sector. SAMA has a seat in the Public Sector Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) and the Public Development Sectoral Bargaining Council, which are the fora where government employees negotiate with government on conditions of service.

Staff members are well trained in industrial relations regulations and procedures and will assist doctors as individuals or collectively in disputes that arise about:

Labour relations information and advice
Collective issues in bargaining councils
Negotiations on salaries and conditions of employment
Dispute resolutions between employees and employers.

Members also have direct access to specific lobby groups within SAMA that have mandates to take up issues on behalf of their constituencies. These groups are:

Senior hospital doctors (Senior Hospital Doctors Association of South Africa “ SEHDASA)
Registrars (SA Registrars Association of South Africa “ SARA)
Interns, community service doctors, and students (Junior Hospital Doctors Association of South Africa “ JUDASA)
Academic doctors (Academic Doctors Association of South Africa “ ADASA)

Enquiries

Girly Moseki girlym@samedical.org
+27 (0) 12 481 2092

Private Practice Unit

SAMA’s activities in the highly competitive and extremely complicated private healthcare industry in South Africa are driven by SAMA’s Private Practice Unit, (PPU). This unit focuses on issues that affect doctors in private practice and strives to improve not only their financial viability but also their quality of life. Its actions are mandated by the two private practice committees: the General Practitioners’ Private Practice Committee, (GPPPC) and the Specialists’ Private Practice Committee, (SPPC).

The PPU strives to promote and strengthen the clinical independence of private medical practitioners in South Africa in order to allow them the freedom to provide a world class service to their patients. It is by fighting for a fair and equitable remuneration for our members so that they in turn can afford to give freely of their time to help those who cannot afford to pay for their healthcare.

SAMA supports the principles of equality under the law, and the right to practice your chosen profession without outside interference. To that end the PPU engages on a daily basis with all the key stakeholders such as: the Department of Health, the Health Professionals Council, the Council for Medical Schemes, the Competition Commission, the Board of Healthcare Funders, individual medical schemes, managed healthcare companies, Independent Practitioners Organisations, medical scheme administrators, hospital groups, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and a myriad other stakeholders in the greater healthcare industry on behalf of our members.

The PPU is tasked with the critical responsibility of continually updating and publishing the Doctors Billing Manual (DBM) and electronic DBM, (eDBM). It also provides a forum to address private practice issues through the GPPPC and SPPC, and acts as the operational arm of these committees. We furthermore support our members and contribute to the quality of their healthcare service delivery by providing varied and numerous CME opportunities.

In conclusion the PPU reminds all SAMA members that the only way to influence the PPU is by getting involved and to live by the immortal words of Tom Stoppard, “A healthy attitude is contagious but don't wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.”

Enquiries:
Dr. Darian van Loggerenberg
Head: PPU
Darianvl@samedical.org

SAMA Membership Administration Team

This unit handles all the Associations membership and journal subscription administration which includes the processing of all new member/subscriber applications and queries relating to membership, such as cash, debit order and persal payments, change of details and change of address.

Enquiries
Member department members@samedical.org
+27 (0) 12 481 2071
+27 (0) 12 481 2095