Johannesburg - Bestmed caused a stir at the prestigious 17th annual Financial Intermediaries Association of Southern Africa (FIA) Awards ceremony in Sandton when it unseated Discovery Health from the Healthcare Supplier of the Year podium.
Bestmed wrested the title from the country’s largest open medical scheme, which has won the award each year since its introduction in 2008.
“We have one or two surprises every year and they are often explained by changes in the marketplace, but when all is said and done the results reflect the changes in the perceptions of FIA members based on their interactions with suppliers,” said FIA communications manager Gareth Stokes.
Santam won the Short-Term Insurer of the Year: Personal Lines award, while financial services giant Discovery Life prevailed in the Long-Term Insurer of the Year – Risk category for the third consecutive time.
Allan Gray took the honours in Investment Products Single Premium, while Sanlam held off the competition in the Investment Products Recurring Premium category.
Sanlam Employee Benefits claimed the prize as Product Supplier of the Year – Employee Benefits for the second year running.
Hollard Insurance scooped the award for Commercial and Corporate Insurer of the Year.
The FIA Awards ceremony follows an independently-conducted benchmark survey of FIA members. According to FIA, its members - all brokers in the short-term insurance, long-term insurance, employee benefits and/or healthcare disciplines - are asked to rate their interaction with product suppliers based on the level of service, product quality and relationship quality.
Results are then collated and the winners determined.
Chris Luyt, executive head of marketing and sales at Bestmed, said that in order to remain relevant in the private healthcare sector, schemes need to take numerous elements into consideration.
“Our industry cannot fully function without intermediaries and in order to be sustainable, a scheme must continually be innovative in line with the members’ needs.
"This award is an acknowledgement from brokers regarding our product offerings and efforts to remain in touch with our members,” said Luyt.
Full list of 2015 winners: