Medical assistance program — Membership policy

Patient membership is for patients only. The social network features (forums, groups, private messaging, member profiles, and similar community tools) are not an open public platform.

We restrict membership to protect patients, reduce spam/harassment, improve privacy, and create a safer place to communicate.

• We may request information to confirm eligibility.
• Providing false or misleading eligibility information may result in refusal or cancellation of membership.

For the moment there is a monthly membership fee. This fee contributes to the costs of building, hosting, maintaining, updating, and securing the platform, including technical support and basic administration.

Without a paid membership model, it would be difficult to run, maintain, and protect the platform at an appropriate standard.

Fees may change from time to time. Where possible, changes will be communicated on the site and/or via email.

Some educational content may be available for free access (including to family and friends). However, the community/social network area is intended specifically for patients and is available at the published fee (subject to change).

• Free content may include articles, videos, and public pages.
• Paid membership may include access to forums, groups, profiles, and private messaging.

Membership runs on a monthly basis and continues month-to-month until cancelled. You can cancel at any time.

If you cancel, your membership remains active until the end of the last paid period (the final month you have paid for).

• Cancellation stops future billing.
• Access remains until the paid period ends.

After cancellation (and once the paid period ends), your account access is limited to content designated as free/public. Patient-only community features will be unavailable.

You can rejoin later if you wish, subject to eligibility requirements and the rules in place at the time.

Free membership may be offered to patients at our discretion (for example, limited campaigns or hardship situations). Offers may be time-limited and may have conditions.

We reserve the right to refuse membership applications or renewals to protect the community, maintain patient safety, prevent misuse, and enforce platform standards.

Where appropriate we may provide a brief reason, but we are not obliged to do so in every case.

This community should feel like a respectful, supportive patient group. By joining, you agree to protect other members and the integrity of the platform.

Core rules (summary)

• Be respectful: no harassment, hate speech, threats, or targeted intimidation.
• No exploitation: no scams, spam, solicitation, or advertising without written permission.
• No impersonation: do not misrepresent your identity or role.
• Keep it safe: no unlawful content or behaviour.
• Respect privacy: do not share another member’s personal information without explicit consent.

Strict privacy rule

You may not share information of other patients outside of this platform (including on social media, WhatsApp groups, websites, or any public forum). Doing so may put you in potential legal difficulties and will be treated as a serious breach.

Enforcement

We may remove content, restrict features, suspend accounts, or cancel memberships if rules are violated (with or without warning depending on severity).

To operate the platform, we store and process certain information associated with your account and activity. This may include:

• Account details: name, username, date of birth, patient/file number (where applicable), email address.
• Security details: password (stored in encrypted/hashed form), login logs, security events.
• Profile data: profile photo/avatar, uploaded images, and optional profile fields you choose to complete.
• User-generated content: posts, comments, forum topics/replies, group posts, and uploaded media.
• Private communications: private messages and member-to-member communications sent through the platform.
• Technical data: device/browser information, IP address, cookies, and analytics used for security and service improvement.

We aim to keep collection proportionate to what is needed for functionality, security, and administration.

Account security

• You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential.
• Do not share your account. Shared accounts may be suspended.
• Report suspected unauthorised access to admin@medicalassistanceprogram.co.za.

Content ownership and licence

• You keep ownership of what you upload or post.
• By posting, you grant the platform a limited licence to host and display your content within the service so it can function.

Moderation and takedowns

• We may remove or restrict content that breaches rules, violates privacy, or creates risk for members or the platform.
• We may temporarily limit visibility while reviewing complaints.

Payments and refunds

• Unless required otherwise by applicable law, fees are generally non-refundable once a billing period has started.
• If a billing error occurs, contact us and we will investigate.

Changes to the service or policy

• Features may be added, removed, or adjusted for safety, security, and usability.
• This policy may be updated from time to time. The version displayed on the site is the current version.

Complaints process

• Email complaints to complaints@medicalassistanceprogram.co.za with screenshots/links where possible.
• Responses may not be immediate as the site is not actively monitored.

Limitation of responsibility (community nature)

• The platform provides community and information resources and does not guarantee outcomes.
• We are not responsible for decisions made based on member posts or third-party links.

Unlawful use

• Unlawful use of the platform is prohibited.

For all queries, cancellations, billing questions, and membership issues, please email:

• Membership: membeship@medicalassistanceprogram.co.za
• Admin: admin@medicalassistanceprogram.co.za
• Complaints: complaints@medicalassistanceprogram.co.za

Kindly contact per email, currently no direct phone line. This site runs automatically and is not actively monitored.