By Tendai Matunhu
The Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZiMA) has urged medical aid societies to pay for services rendered to patients by doctors who continue to render such services notwithstanding the economic challenges that have not spared them.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference held at the ZiMA offices in Harare yesterday, ZIMA National Secretary General, Dr Sacrifice Chirisa said, “While medical practitioners have not been spared by the current turbulent economic environment, they continue to committedly offer their services. Of note, Medical Aid Societies have not paid for these services in full and in time with some having outstanding claims dating back as far as 2015.
“Medical Insurance firms are mushrooming everywhere collecting subscriptions upfront from our patients, they are top heavy and are using funds meant to pay for services for non-members’ benefits resulting in members incurring huge shortfalls.”
Dr Chirisa went on to say that when the insurer became the service provider and directing patients to their own institutions, patient care outcomes deteriorate and long waiting times for patients to be attended to become common. He added that practice was unethical, anticompetitive and compromising patient outcomes and quality of care.
He highlighted that some medical aid clinics were compromising health quality and care with some Medical Aid Societies not paying their dues.
“At some medical aid clinics, practitioners are literally targeting to clear patient queues rather than offering quality service resulting in a single doctor attending to outrageous figures of at times more than 80 clients in a day, compromising significantly on quality of care.
“Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) has not paid the medical practitioners for the past seven months and has refused to increase tariffs as proposed and agreed by Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) which they are a member. This leaves subscribers with the largest shortfalls. Utterances by their CEO are regrettable, false and meant to mislead the public,” he said
On the issue of low pay, Dr Chirisa highlighted that medical aid practitioners are actually able to continue working in Government Hospitals because they are subsidised by their private institutions.
The Association called for the speedy finalisation and implementation of Medical Aid Societies Bill which will ensure comprehensive regulation of health insurers, payment of all outstanding claims by medical practioners especially PSMAS which owes them about $60million dollars.
ZIMA also called for the Zimbabwe Anticorruption Commission (ZAC) to carry out an audit on all Medical Aid Societies for possible misappropriation of funds and called upon individuals to desist from making insensitive, inaccurate, insulting and unfounded statements aimed at causing anarchy in the medical industry.
Asked on whether the association felt robbed by PSMAS following the introduction of Satutory Instrument 142 of 2019, Dr Chirisa highlighted that ZIMA is a law abiding organisation and that they support any policies made by Government. He said the SI142 of 2019 did not rob them but they were robbed by medical aid societies that did not pay on their stipulated time
