Pretoria - Health care cards for military veterans will be issued from Tuesday, the government said.
“The issuing of the health care cards is a significant step in the direction of ensuring that we roll out the social benefits stipulated in the Military Veterans Act, no 18 of 2011,” said Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) spokesman Mbulelo Musi on Sunday.
The health care cards would enable veterans to have easy and free access to health in military hospitals in the country.
“The health care cards are to be issued to those military veterans who have updated their files with the department of military veterans.”
The issuing of cards would be done in phases starting with Gauteng and the Eastern Cape between the March 12 and 26.
These would be followed by KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Western Cape, North West, Free State, Mpumalanga and North Cape.
Musi said details of the dates and places of issuance would be provided soon.
The schedule for issuing would be on Tuesday and Wednesday at Lenasia in Gauteng, which would cater for Soweto, Johannesburg South, Vaal and the West Rand.
On Thursday and Friday the cards would be issued at the sickbay in Gezina, Pretoria which would cater for Pretoria and neighbouring North West areas such as Brits.
On Tuesday March 19 and Wednesday March 20 cards would be issued at the sickbay in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape and on Friday at the sickbay in East London, and on Tuesday March 26 at the sickbay in Heidelburg, Gauteng.
“To date out of the 56,505 military veterans captured in the database of the department of military veterans, 13,768 have updated their files and priority attention in the issuing of these health care cards will be given to them especially those from the non-statutory forces, who for many decades did not enjoy such benefits.”
Musi said government called on all the military veterans who had updated their files to collect their cards in the respective places as scheduled and on those veterans who had not updated their files to do so in order for them to have access to these services.
All those who come for their health care cards should bring their green barcoded identification documents.
For more information the military veterans, their dependants as well as associations could contact the department at 012-671-1890
or 076-402-9070 or 078-099-2564. - Sapa