PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa says parliamentarians should expedite the tabling of the Medical Aid Services Bill.
By Kudakwashe Pembere
He said this while presenting the State Of The Nation Address (SONA) and official opening of the second session of the Ninth Parliament on Tuesday.
The Medical Aid Societies bill will pave way for the establishment of the Medical Aid Society Regulatory Authority. This bill seeks to ensure that medical aid societies operate within the law as healthcare insurers rather than doubling up as healthcare providers,” said the President.
He bemoaned the slow space of movement of Bills in Parliament and asserted that such kind of behaviour should not be allowed to continue. At least 30 Bills were expected to be tabled in the First Session of the Ninth Parliament just nine made it through.
“The law must be a universal instrument of development. As such the slow pace in this August house which has resulted in a low number of bills passing through parliament cannot be allowed to continue. I thus challenge Honourable members through you Mr Speaker Sir, in their individual and collective capacities to play their part in speeding up our parliamentary processes,” he said.
Medical practitioners and the Association of HealthCare Funders of Zimbabwe have been calling on government to speedily come up with a regulatory authority for medical aid societies.
Giving the health sector status update, the President said government is implementing measures to revitalise the referral system by upgrading medical infrastructure and equipment in clinics, district hospitals and central hospitals.
“I wish at this juncture to pay tribute to the United ArabEmirates (UAE) and the Government of India along with other partners for their generous support towards the modernisation and revamping our health delivery system,” he said.
