Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes how the Medical Society (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal information in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013. This Policy applies to our website https://www.medicalsociety.co.za (the “Website”) and governs the privacy of our users (“you” or “your”). By accessing or using our Website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms of this Policy.
1. Collection of Personal Information
We may collect the following categories of personal information:
1.1. Personal Identifying Information: This includes information that can be used to identify you, such as your name, address, email address, telephone number, identification number, and any other information voluntarily provided by you.
1.2. Sensitive Information: We may collect sensitive personal information, such as health or medical records, to provide medical treatment. We will obtain your explicit consent before collecting such information and handle it with the utmost confidentiality.
1.3. Financial Information: We may request financial information, such as bank account details to process payment of your healthcare plan and/or services provided.
1.4. Website Usage Information: We may collect information about your use of the Website, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, and pages visited. This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies, as explained in our Cookie Policy.
2. Use of Personal Information
We will use your personal information for the following purposes:
2.1. Healthcare plan/services: We will use your personal information to set up the healthcare plan you selected and/or to provide you with the required medical treatment, as the case may be.
2.2. Communication: We may use your personal information to communicate with you regarding your healthcare plan, including the treatment you received or ought to receive and promotional offers. You may opt-out of receiving marketing communications at any time.
2.3. Improving Services: We may use your personal information to analyse and improve our services, customise your experience on the Website, and enhance our customer support.
2.4. Legal Compliance: We may use and disclose your personal information as required or permitted by applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes.
3. Disclosure of Personal Information
We may disclose your personal information to the following parties:
3.1. Affiliates and Service Providers: We may share your personal information with our affiliates and trusted third-party service providers who assist us in providing related services, including claims processing and policy administration.
3.2. Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of the transaction. We will notify you and provide choices regarding your personal information in such circumstances.
3.3. Legal Obligations: We may disclose your personal information if required by law, legal process, or government request.
4. Data Security
We employ reasonable security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no data transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot warrant its absolute security.
5. Data Retention
We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Policy unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. We will securely dispose of personal information when it is no longer needed.
6. Your Rights
You have the following rights regarding your personal information:
6.1. Access: You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and receive a copy of that information.
6.2. Rectification: If you believe that any of your personal information held by us is inaccurate or incomplete, you may request its correction or update.
6.3. Erasure: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances.
6.4. Objection: You may object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes or on grounds relating to your particular situation.
6.5. Consent Withdrawal: If we rely on your consent as a legal basis for processing your personal information, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
7. Changes to the Policy
We reserve the right to update or modify this Policy at any time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the revised Policy on the Website or through other means. Your continued use of the Website following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of such changes.
8. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us using the following information:
Email: info@medicalsociety.co.za
Telephone: 0861 11 10 58/ 0800 111 135
Please Call Me: 061 256 5866