Website Privacy Policy
In short
- We only collect what we need to answer you, run the portal and keep the site secure.
- We do not sell your information or use it for advertising.
- We send you marketing only if you opt in, and you can stop it at any time.
- Your health information is covered in more detail in the Patient Privacy Notice.
- You can ask to see, correct or delete your information.
1. Who is responsible
MediNect HealthCare is run by [registered company name], registration number [registration number], of [registered physical address]. In these pages, “MediNect”, “we” and “us” mean that company.
We are the “responsible party” under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). Our Information Officer is [Information Officer name]. You can reach them at hello@medinect.health.
2. What this policy covers
This policy covers anyone who visits our website, contacts us, or creates a portal account. If you become a patient, we also collect health information. That is explained in the Patient Privacy Notice.
3. What we collect
- What you give us
- Details you type into our forms or portal, such as your name, phone number, email address and message. If you message us on WhatsApp, we see your number and what you write.
- What is collected automatically
- Our hosting provider keeps technical logs, such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you open, to run and protect the site.
- Cookies and similar tools
- The portal stores a sign-in session in your browser so you stay signed in. We do not use advertising cookies. [Update this line if website analytics are added]
- Fonts
- Our pages load fonts from Google Fonts. This means your browser contacts Google’s servers, and Google can see your IP address.
4. Why we use your information
- To reply to your enquiries and help you find care.
- To create and run your portal account.
- To keep the service secure and prevent fraud or abuse.
- To meet our legal duties.
- To send you marketing, only if you have said yes.
We use your information on the basis that it is needed to deal with your request or run the service, that the law requires it, that we have a legitimate interest in keeping the service safe, or that you have consented.
5. Marketing
We only send marketing if you opt in, for example by ticking the box when you register. You can opt out at any time by using the link in a message, by changing your preferences, or by contacting us. We do not sell your information to anyone.
6. Who we share it with
We use trusted service providers to run MediNect. They may only use your information to do their job for us, and they are bound by agreements to keep it secure.
- Website hosting (Netlify).
- Our database and sign-in system (Supabase).
- Google Fonts, as described above.
- Messaging services such as WhatsApp or SMS providers, when we send you messages you asked for.
- Our payment provider, when online payments are switched on.
- An AI provider, if and when our website assistant is switched on (see section 7).
We also share information when the law requires it, for example with a court or a regulator. We do not share your information with advertisers.
7. The website assistant
If we switch on our AI assistant (Rosinah), what you type into the chat is sent to an AI provider so it can write a reply. The assistant answers general questions about MediNect. It does not see your patient record and is not used to make decisions about your care. Please do not type your ID number or health details into the chat.
8. Sending information outside South Africa
Some of our providers store or process information outside South Africa. Our database is currently hosted in Europe. [Update if the hosting location changes] We only send information abroad where the provider is bound by law or agreement to protect it to a standard similar to POPIA, or where you have consented.
9. Keeping your information safe
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information. Passwords are stored in a form we cannot read. Access to patient records is limited by role, and our providers encrypt data in transit and in storage. If there is a security breach that affects you, we will tell you and the Information Regulator as the law requires.
10. How long we keep it
We keep enquiry and contact details only as long as we need them to deal with your request. Account details are kept while your account is open. Health records are kept for the period set out in the Patient Privacy Notice.
11. Your rights
You can ask us to:
- tell you what information we hold about you and give you a copy;
- correct information that is wrong or out of date;
- delete information we no longer need or have no legal reason to keep;
- stop using your information in a particular way, or stop marketing;
- take back a consent you gave, though this does not undo what we did before.
Email hello@medinect.health with your name and registered mobile number. We may ask you to confirm who you are first. We will reply within a reasonable time and aim for 30 days.
12. Children
You must be 18 or older to register. We do not knowingly collect information from children without the consent of a parent or legal guardian.
13. Complaints
Please contact us first so we can try to put things right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Regulator.
Information Regulator (South Africa)
Website: inforegulator.org.za
Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
Phone: 010 023 5200
The Regulator’s website explains how to lodge a complaint.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy. The date at the top shows when it last changed. If a change is important, we will tell you by email or in your portal.
15. Contact
Email: hello@medinect.health
Phone or WhatsApp: [phone number]