The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Government is worried about the impending loss of health cover for many after more than 25 000 people lost their jobs, and is leaving no stone unturned in setting up a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to cater for the poor and unemployed, a Cabinet Minister has said. This comes after the Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) expressed concern that its membership was likely to drastically drop as a result of job losses on three months’ notice following the Supreme Court July landmark ruling.
In a speech read on his behalf by the provincial medical director for Matabeleland North Province, Dr Nyasha Masuka while officially opening AHFoZ annual conference last week, Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa said NHIS will be tax-based and pro-poor.
“Medical aid is a game of numbers and focus should be on how to get the critical masses covered. The Government is aware that in order to introduce an efficient NHIS, there is a need to upgrade infrastructure at public health institutions and improve staff complements so that the majority of patients will get healthcare services from public institutions,” said the Minister.
Asked to clarify measures done so far after many workers lost their jobs, which left most of them without medical aid cover, Dr Masuka said: “A lot of work is being placed on the health facility to take care of the affected people most of whom are vulnerable and poor following the Supreme Court ruling. Much effort is being put on the NHIS which will be tax-based.”
He could not give time frames for operationalisation of the facility.
Dr Parirenyatwa said Government will consult all partners for a sustainable NHIS and various funding models were being pursued towards a successful scheme.
He said the success of the scheme required the support of the private sector through properly structured public-private partnerships.
“A healthy population is a prerequisite for sustainable human development and increased productivity in the country.
“The Government is planning to draft a Memorandum of Understanding to guide all partnership with private sector for a win-win situation because the private sector has always wanted to know what’s there for it,” he said.
The Minister challenged health partners to embrace the World Health Organisation’s coding which would help give correct health statistics.
He said the Government was also working on setting up a regulatory board to oversee the activities of medical aid societies, against the backdrop of cases of fraud and abuse of schemes by individuals and service providers.
Dr Parirenyatwa urged health funders to comply with the law, adding that four such institutions closed down last year leaving clients stranded.
“In future the Government will adopt a strict approach to guard against abuse of healthcare seekers by service providers. Allegations of fraud and rampant abuse of medical aid funds are of concern as this has an effect of unnecessarily increasing healthcare costs. This should not be tolerated and the law must take its course,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.
“We will be carrying stakeholder consultations on this. Government priority in healthcare includes issues of access, quality outcomes and wellness and achievement of Millennium Development Goals guided by goals of Zim Asset.”
The Health Minister said Zimbabwe had made commendable progress in the fight against HIV and Aids and now there was a need to extend the fight to non-communicable diseases.
Dr Parirenyatwa said healthcare funding remains critical as the fiscus was failing to allocate the mandatory 15 percent suggested at the Abuja Declaration, amid reports 35 percent of the country’s health fund was coming from donors.
Addressing the conference earlier, AHFoZ chief executive officer Ms Shylet Sanyanga said because of the economic situation and job losses, many people would end up defaulting on their treatments because they won’t afford medical expenses.
“The effects of these terminations will be known after the three months notices but there is no doubt there will be reduction which will threaten viability,” she said.
She said some of the challenges included closure of companies which affects remission, funding, lack of flexibility in the sector unlike in traditional healers who can accept non-monetary payment. AHFoZ, which was formed in 1969, has 27 members and three affiliates servicing 1,3 million of the country’s 14 million population. Hundreds of health practitioners drawn from different medical aid companies, service providers and other partners attended the conference.
