RAF on the road to improve service delivery
The Road Accident Fund paid R70 million worth in settlement claims.
IN an effort to improve service delivery, the Road Accident Fund (RAF) took to the streets of Empangeni and surrounding areas during the weekend to process unsettled claims while registering new ones.
Assisting close to 1 500 people at the Imbizo Conference Centre on Saturday, the RAF, by the end of business, had paid R70-million worth in settlements.
The outreach campaign dubbed ‘RAF on the Road’ is aimed at educating communities about the service provided, assisting with claim enquiries, making settlement offers, issueing medical undertakings certificates and encouraging crash victims to ‘cut out the middle man’ and lodge claims directly with the RAF.
The project initiated in 2012, allows the RAF to have direct access to claimants and has since paid more than R560-million and assisted more than 26 000 people nationwide.
‘There are one million accidents per year, 114 every hour and every 37 minutes, someone dies on our roads. The average duration of an average accident is 2.7 seconds but the aftermath is pain and poverty,’ said RAF CEO Dr Eugene Watson.
‘It is our responsibility to compensate and rehabilitate these crash victims. Over the last two years, the RAF’s expenditure on accident claims was R55-billion, money which could have been used towards the fund’s Patient Outreach Programme,’ he added.
The programme, implemented to manage the rehabilitation process of patients discharged from hospital, allocates caregivers to facilitate occupational therapy, provide counselling, wheelchairs and modifications for easy access around their homes, where necessary.
Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters, congratulated the RAF on its second consecutive clean audit despite working in an unpredictable environment and sent a stern warning to reckless drivers.
‘Road safety begins with you at home and you should advise your family members and neighbours to adhere to the rules of the road.’ she said.
Certificates of appreciation and blankets were issued to caregivers who have played a vital role in rehabilitation; and school shoes, reflective school bags and jackets were donated to Bingoma, Phembokuhle, ILembe and Macekane Primary Schools.
Bill changes
The amendment of the current Road Accident Benefit Scheme Bill was also addressed.
‘The Department of Transport and RAF intends to replace the current scheme of compensation with one that is equitable and based on social security principals; as the existing scheme is wasteful and open to abuse,’ said RAF Senior Manager Regulations, Chris Willemse.
‘Transformation of the current scheme will address many challenges facing the RAF that constrain the ability to deliver on its mandate in an effective and efficient manner.
Settlements under the current scheme are subjective – claims need to be extensively assessed, the RAF needs to establish fault and it takes up to three years to lodge a claim due to unavailable documents or witnesses and then the matter is taken to court which prolongs the settlement.
‘Under the new scheme, benefits are fixed and predetermined and not subject to common law insurance principles. The bill is a formula-based and transparent, irrespective of the severity of the claim.’ said Willemse.
