GP, Dr Kevindra Naidu: "Personal Health Pathways has improved my patients' uptake of health screening and wellness checks"body.

"I still think like an epidemiologist," says Dr Kevindra Naidu. "I like data to drive what we do because that's how we improve patient care."

Dr Kevindra Naidu moved into family practice in 2019, after working as a clinical epidemiologist in medical research and clinical programmes for HIV/TB care, where data guided almost every decision he made. Today, as both a general practitioner and a Discovery Health Medical Scheme member himself, he sees Personal Health Pathways as one of the most exciting examples of how data can improve patient care.

"Personal Health Pathways is the first programme of its kind. I haven't seen another medical scheme using data and artificial intelligence like this to personalise healthcare. It's a big step in the right direction."

Personal Health Pathways is "exactly what preventive healthcare should look like"

Dr Naidu particularly values how Discovery HealthID gives him an instant view of how his patients are engaging with their Personal Health Pathways.

"I like how interactive it is. I can immediately see what next best actions are being recommended, whether a patient has activated their Personal Health Pathway and whether they're already on a care programme. I can endorse health actions while the patient is with me in the consultation. And all of this means a more streamlined care experience for patients."

Discovery HealthID also helps him identify patients who may have missed important screenings.

"Seeing what Personal Health Pathways is recommending prompts me to follow up on those screenings. If I see that someone hasn't completed a mammogram, cervical cancer screening or prostate screening, I'll raise it during the consultation."

For Dr Naidu, that's exactly what preventive healthcare should look like.

"I'd absolutely recommend Personal Health Pathways to other doctors. Using Discovery HealthID during consultations makes it incredibly easy to see what Personal Health Pathways is recommending and endorse the right health actions for the right patients."

"I think it's important that doctors engage in new technologies available to us, both to understand how they can support our work, and where possible also share our feedback and experiences to shape the way healthcare platforms develop."

From patients avoiding screenings to asking for them

"Patients are walking into my practice asking for health and screening checks they either would have avoided or never have asked for before," he says.

"It's always been difficult convincing some patients that they need certain screenings. Asking someone for a stool sample or recommending a colonoscopy isn't always an easy conversation."

Today, those conversations often start very differently.

"This year I've had many patients asking me for stool test forms because their Personal Health Pathway recommended this health action. I've had women coming in asking for cervical cancer screenings and mammograms, and men requesting prostate screenings."

"Personal Health Pathways is helping patients become much more aware of their health status and how to maintain or enhance it. For many patients, it's the first time they've understood which screenings they need and when they should have them."

Helping patients take ownership of their health

Dr Naidu spends a great deal of time educating patients about their health. He believes Personal Health Pathways is making those conversations much easier too.

"There are many patients who believe their doctor will do everything for them. They trust us completely, but they don't always take an active role in managing their own health."

"Personal Health Pathways is changing that. It encourages members to become more involved in their healthcare. It's educating patients about their chronic conditions, teaching them which screenings they need and when they should have them."

Dr Naidu believes the financial rewards Scheme members earn for engaging in Personal Health Pathways play an important role.

"For many of my patients, earning funds into their Personal Health Fund is the biggest motivator, as they can use these directly to pay for day-to-day healthcare costs such as doctor's consultations, medicine, tests carried out and more. Whatever motivates patients to complete preventive screenings is ultimately truly supportive of our work as healthcare providers."

"It's a push-pull situation. I don't have to push quite as hard because patients are pulling a bit better."

Even doctors need reminders about health checks

Dr Naidu also uses Personal Health Pathways to manage his own health.

"We all get busy. Between work and family life it's easy to forget about looking after yourself."

Recently, his Personal Health Pathway reminded him to complete his prostate screening before the deadline and to book a dental check-up.

"I've done my prostate screening and booked my dental appointment."

Because he has high blood pressure, he also receives reminders for tests that help monitor his health.

"My Personal Health Pathway might remind me to check my kidney function, blood glucose or cholesterol. I generally stay on top of those things, but it's a good reminder because life gets busy."

"It almost feels like I'm playing a video game with gamification elements. I complete certain health actions, earn rewards and build up funds in my Personal Health Fund."

What is Personal Health Pathways? What is the Personal Health Fund?

Personal Health Pathways is a free tool available to adult DHMS members via the Discovery Health app. It provides personalised, real-time health recommendations based on each member's unique profile. As a member's health journey evolves, so does their pathway, continuously updating based on their specific health status, risk profile and engagement patterns and dynamically adjusting as new health data become available.

- Personal Health Pathways combines artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and behavioural science. The platform uses more than 50 million life-years of health claims and clinical data, along with nearly 30 million life- years of exercise and lifestyle data gathered through Vitality in South Africa, to recommend actions that have the greatest potential to improve health outcomes.

Each member's Personal Health Pathways cycle provides up to two clinical actions (which must be completed by a set date, and can be deferred to a later deadline) and one weekly exercise goal (which, for Vitality members, is the same as their weekly Vitality Active Rewards Goal). Members can also choose to take on challenges. Challenges are exciting, goal-driven health journeys (from Better Health Challenges to Move More and Sleep Well challenges which run over a few weeks), each made up of simple, actionable steps, designed to help you build healthy habits and achieve meaningful results.

Members who complete their health actions and achieve their weekly exercise goals earn rewards (through Discovery Health) for engaging, including shopping vouchers, Ðiscovery Miles and instant rewards. Those Scheme members who are also Vitality members earn personalised rewards through Personal Health Pathways in addition to their Vitality rewards

Members also earn up to R500 into their Personal Health Fund (through Discovery Health Medical Scheme) for each completed action. The funds accumulated in the Personal Health Fund can be used for day-to-day medical expenses, including GP and specialist consultations, medicine, radiology and pathology. In 2026, you can earn up to R12,000 per policy in the Personal Health Fund, depending on your chosen plan. You can also earn up to R500 for each recommended Personal Health Pathway action you complete, up to a maximum of R3,000 per adult and R1,500 per child.