People with arthritis - giving voice to your concerns

"The Arthritis Foundation has taken up the challenge to ensure that people with arthritis will no longer be ignored when political or medical decisions are being taken that affect us."

For too long we have merely accepted the word of our doctors, the ruling of our medical aids, or the service we get in the public health facilities, believing that one little lone voice won't achieve much in the face of bureaucracy, politics or high finance.

The Arthritis Foundation has close ties with PHANGO (Patient Health Alliance of NGO's) which is a coaliton of some 25 health - related NGO 's  This organisation aims to ensure that all patients' viewpoints are represented at policy level in government, in decision making in the public health service and in payment decisions by private Medical Aid Schemes. PHANGO has already had some influence in the Department of Health's draft Health Policy document, having submitted comment and been invited to meet with the committee responsible for the Health Policy. As a result, the patient's viewpoint is now being taken seriously and civil society representatives have been included on the committee.

The Arthritis Foundation has also linked up with the Osteoporosis Foundation, the SA Rheumatism and Arthritis Association of medical personnel and the SA Health Professionals in Rheumatology (nurses, physiotherapist and occupational therapists) to create a body to advocate the interests of arthritis patients in the South African health care system.

Also in the field of advocacy, the Foundation has launched a support group for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis or Ankylosing Spondylitis who are on - or considering going on to - one of the new class of drugs known as biologics. The group, named SABIO (SA Biologics) aims not only to support its members and to educate others about the effects of the drug, but also to lobby for a more realistic approach to payment for these drugs from the Medical Schemes sector. SABIO also aims to lobby the public health system to, at the very least, provide biologics for children suffering from Juvenile Arthritis.

Hailed by many as a true 'miracle drug,' biologics can restore patients who were totally debilitated by arthritis, back to their normal life. Unfortunately, along with other new medical technologies, biologics are still extremely expensive. SABIO will be lobbying the various drug companies to lower their prices to a more realistic level.

Anyone who is interested in being part of any of these three advocacy groups and thereby helping us to make your voice heard, please contact Aletta on 021 852 5530, Cell 083 270 4842 , email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it