How Personal Health Pathways keeps Andrew (62) strong, healthy and saving money

"I'd rather be the oldest person in the gym than the youngest person at the old-age home," says Andrew Sarelis, 62, with a laugh. "Following the recommendations on my Personal Health Pathways will help me to achieve that."

Since Personal Health Pathways launched in January 2025, Andrew has completed all of the next best actions - personalised health prompts tailored to his age, risk profile and health history - via his Pathway on his Discovery Health app.

"I went for prostate cancer screening and a colorectal cancer screening - both were next best actions recommended by Personal Health Pathways. Honestly, I didn't even realise I should be screened for colorectal cancer at my age. I'm really glad the app made me aware of that as I have had important preventative checks and now have a baseline for where my health is at in 2025."

Andrew also follows the app's physical activity recommendations - weekly goals he needs to meet to close the exercise ring in his Personal Health Pathways. "That weekly goal motivates me to keep moving. I go to the gym four times a week to run and lift weights. And sometimes I do yoga, pilates, and play pickleball."

Andrew is rewarded for staying proactive about his health

"The rewards I receive for completing the health and physical activity recommendations are really motivating," says Andrew. "Over and above the Ðiscovery Miles I earn, I also earn money into my Personal Health Fund, which is really incredible as this means I have extra funds available for everyday medical expenses - just for keeping healthy!"

"I treat the Ðiscovery Miles I earn, the funds that go into my Personal Health Fund, and the Dischem vouchers that I get as cost-savers. I see them as offsetting my Discovery Health Medical Scheme membership premium. Andrew's used his Personal Health Fund to pay for routine medical expenses, like doctor's appointments, that he would previously have paid for himself. Impressed with the benefits, Andrew has recommended that friends, family and colleagues activate Personal Health Pathways too!

"I work in IT support, so I love apps - and the Personal Health Pathways feature on the Discovery Health app is particularly intuitive and easy to use. It's such a smart tool. The health recommendations are tailored to your age and personal risk factors. It's a fantastic way to build awareness around what each person can do to stay on top of their health."

What is Personal Health Pathways?

Personal Health Pathways is a free tool available to adult DHMS members via the Discovery Health app. It provides personalised, real-time health recommendations called next best actions 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. Members earn rewards 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.

Then, each Personal Health Pathways cycle provides up to two clinical actions and one weekly exercise goal, which must be completed by a set date. Members can earn up to R500 into a new Personal Health Fund for each completed action, up to a maximum of R10,000. The money that is accumulated in the Personal Health Fund can be used for day-to-day medical expenses, including GP and specialist consultations, medicine, radiology and pathology.