About Us
Origin & History
The RFMCF (referred to as “the Fund”) was established on 01 January 1964 for the continuation of healthcare benefits to retired members as an additional condition of service for serving Regular Force Members.
Since its implementation, the Fund receives monthly contributions from its serving members in the Regular Force, which is the main source of income as pre-funding to cover the administrative and health cost of its beneficiaries.
The aim of the RFMCF is to provide continued medical, dental, and hospital treatment through the South African Military Health Services (SAMHS) to members and registered dependants.
The RFMCF, along with its Administrator, the Professional Provident Society Healthcare Administrators (PPSHA), manages the healthcare benefits, contributions and claims to ensure that it is ethically processed in accordance with the rules of the Fund.
The statutory prescripts governing the RFMCF are:
- Section 82 of the Defence Act, 2002 (No 42 of 2002)
Chapter XV, Part VI & V of the SANDF General Regulations
Board of Trustees
The Fund exists as an autonomous body and is overseen by a Management Board.
RFMCF Stakeholders
The Fund’s success depends greatly on the wholehearted cooperation of all its Stakeholders. It is therefore important to understand the different roles each plays. The stakeholders include:
South African Military Health Services (SAMHS)
The health and patient administration lie within the SAMHS and is under the control of the Surgeon General. The SAMHS is the primary service provider for RFMCF members.
The SAMHS is responsible for the medical facilities and providing medical care to all beneficiaries of the Fund. If the necessary services to treat medical conditions are not available within the SAMHS, the SAMHS will outsource the services by providing the RFMCF beneficiary with a referral form known as a DD63 immediately. All requests and enquiries concerning healthcare received from the SAMHS must be directed to the Officer Commanding of the Area Military Health Unit (AMHU) or relevant Military Hospital falling within the geographical area where the beneficiary resides. The contact particulars of these SAMHS units are available here.
PPS Healthcare Administrators (PPSHA)
Professional Provident Society Healthcare Administrators (PPSHA), was established in 2005 and is the fourth largest medical scheme administrator in South Africa. PPSHA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Professional Provident Society Insurance Company Limited (PPS).
ISO 9001 is a set of standards recognised and accepted worldwide. It assures that the quality of service received will match expectations. In March 2006, within its first year of existence, PPSHA received its first ISO 9001 certification (9001:2000) for its Quality Management System. Since then, it has maintained the certification and received the latest certification (2009:2015) in November 2023. PPSHA has subsequently maintained this certification. In 2018, PPSHA received the latest certification (2009:2015).
PPSHA has also been granted a license to operate as a Financial Services Provider (FSP) by the FSCA. This was granted in 2022. Some of the services rendered by PPSHA include:
- Hospital Benefit Management
- Hospital Case Management
- Disease Risk Management
- Medical Administration Services
- Dental Management
- Network / Provider Management
RFMCF Partners
PPS Healthcare Administrators
A wholly owned subsidiary of PPS, recognized as a company of value and integrity by professionals, provides administrative services to the RFMCF.
Opticlear
A specialised optometry clearing and benefit management company that manages the optical benefits for the Fund.
Medikredit
An independent pharmaceutical benefit management company that manages acute and chronic medication for the Fund.
