Domestic workers' medical aid sustainable: health group

An affordable, private health care scheme for domestic workers is sustainable, CareCross Health Group said on Wednesday.

The group said in a statement it had been providing low cost health care to lower and middle-income workers since 1998.

The Star reported on Tuesday that the SA Domestic Services and Allied Workers' Union had raised concerns that only a health care plan devised by the health department would adequately serve the needs of domestic workers.

CareCross said its newly launched DomestiCare, which was aimed at domestic workers, was based on a model it had been running for six years.

Unlike pension schemes, which require lifelong commitment, the DomestiCare product had immediate benefits and did not depend on long-term employment.

DomestiCare was not linked to the State and was not compulsory, but could bridge the gap between private sector health providers and low-wage domestic workers.