Cancers, high cholesterol and prostate conditions detected early in Dr Bava's patients thanks to Personal Health Pathways

For Dr Hamzah Bava, caring for a patient's health doesn't begin and end in the consulting room. It's an always-on approach to patient care - one that he is truly passionate about.

"I tell my patients that managing their health is a journey that we go on together,:" he says. "And, over the past year and a half, access to Personal Health Pathways has made that journey a little easier because it helps keep patients engaged in what they personally need to do, even when they're not sitting in front of me."

That ongoing engagement became clear during this interview. While speaking about Personal Health Pathways, Dr Bava received a message from one of his patients who had just received a next best action recommending a consultation with their primary healthcare provider - Dr Bava.

"That's exactly what I mean," he says. "Personal Health Pathways is keeping patients engaged and reminding them to take the right next step - in this case to schedule a follow-up appointment with me without me needing to remind them to do so."

Dr Bava has experienced the benefits of Personal Health Pathways both as a general practitioner and as a Discovery Health Medical Scheme member himself.

Detecting disease earlier

"In my practice, we've picked up several prostate conditions after patients went for their prostate screenings recommended by their Personal Health Pathway. These conditions include enlarged prostates, prostatitis and one case of prostate cancer."

The patient diagnosed with cancer was diagnosed soon after Personal Health Pathways launched in early 2025, after following his next best action to go for a prostate screening - which he would not otherwise have done.

"Because the cancer was detected early, treatment started quickly and he's already completed treatment."

Dr Bava has also diagnosed several patients with high cholesterol after they completed a Health Check recommended by their Personal Health Pathways."

And he has seen breast cancers detected through mammograms recommended by Personal Health Pathways.

"For me, that's where the real value lies. Patients are less likely to delay important screenings, conditions are diagnosed earlier and treatment can begin sooner, which improves their chances of better health outcomes."

Keeping patients engaged between consultations

"One of the biggest challenges in primary healthcare is helping patients stay engaged after they leave the practice because there are often gaps between consultations," says Dr Bava. "You might not see a patient regularly or have enough time during a consultation to remind them about every screening they should have. Even if you do, patients can forget."

"It's reassuring to know that Personal Health Pathways recommends the screenings patients need and reminds them when they're due - and rewards patients for getting them done, alongside channelling funds into their Personal Health Fund." All of this is why Dr Bava actively encourages his Discovery Health Medical Scheme member patients to activate their Personal Health Pathways.

"If they aren't sure how to activate it, either I or one of my staff members helps them. Once we've activated it, they're excited to use it. We overcome that simple upfront process and from there patients see how easy it is to use."

"We're living in a world where we're seeing an increase in sudden deaths, especially among younger people. In our local community of Laudium there has been a sudden rise in acute myocardial infarcts (heart attacks) among people below 45 years. Patients want to understand their health better and know what they should be checking to get ahead of any healthcare risks."

"I'm seeing both young and older patients responding positively to their Personal Health Pathways. It's creating awareness around their health. A patient's Pathway might recommend a prostate screening, but when they come in, they'll ask me to check their cholesterol and blood glucose levels at the same time."

"A lot of my patients with diabetes come to see me because their Personal Health Pathways reminded them they were due for a follow-up consultation. That's a significant help because regular follow-up is essential for keeping chronic conditions under control."

Dr Bava also uses Discovery HealthID to endorse the health actions recommended in patient's Pathways - through the Discovery HealthID electronic health record - reinforcing the value of the recommendations and supporting his patients to take the right steps at the right time.

"I'm proud that so many of my Discovery Health Medical Scheme patients have activated their Personal Health Pathways, and are engaging in their personalised journeys,:" he says.

Even doctors benefit from support in staying healthy

Although Dr Bava already prioritises his own health, he admits that even doctors sometimes need a reminder to keep up with necessary preventive screenings.

"I must be honest with you, sometimes I forget to go for my preventive screenings. It's easy to postpone these checks or forget about them completely when work gets busy. For example, I forgot to go for my prostate screening, and a simple reminder from my Personal Health Pathway prompted me to have it done."

"My Personal Health Pathway also recommended that I have my blood glucose tested. Because I have a family history of diabetes, that's important for me. Recommendations like that show Personal Health Pathways really is personalised to each member's unique health profile."

Like other members, Dr Bava earns funds into his Personal Health Fund for completing his recommended health actions.

"I've also encouraged those of my staff who are Discovery Health Medical Scheme members to activate their Personal Health Pathways and complete the recommended screenings. That helps them better understand their health while also earning funds they can use towards day-to-day healthcare."

A tool every general practitioner should consider

"I would recommend Personal Health Pathways to other general practitioners because we're seeing the results. Patients are more engaged; they're taking better care of themselves and they're less likely to delay important screenings and treatment. This also really deepens their relationship with us, and the trust they have in us."

"The tool is reminding people to take care of their health. That's good for patients, it's good for doctors and ultimately it leads to better health outcomes for everyone."

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 a new 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. Members 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.