Category: Health Financing

2025 National Budget Fails to Prioritize Health Sector: CWGH Analysis

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The 2025 National Budget allocation for Zimbabwe’s health sector has raised significant concerns among health advocates and stakeholders, including the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH). With health expenditure shrinking in real terms, CWGH Executive Director Itai Rusike emphasized that the budget falls short of addressing the country’s critical health challenges, risking further strain on an already fragile system. Declining Health Expenditure The Ministry of Health and Child Care has been allocated ZiG28.3 billion (US$785.9 million) in 2025, representing 10.2% of the national budget, a decrease from…

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No New Taxes To Be Introduced Under National Health Insurance

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Funds for Zimbabwe’s soon-to-be-implemented National Health Insurance (NHI) will be drawn from existing taxes and various sectors to minimize the financial burden on citizens, a senior government health economist has revealed. The principles of Zimbabwe’s NHI Fund have been approved by the Cabinet. This fund will pool resources from multiple sources into a single account, which will then finance the essential health services package. Targeted funding sources include local authority contributions, earmarked levies, health bonds, the Assisted Medical Treatment Order (AMTO), state contributions, portions of the War…

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Salutem, NetOne launch US$1-a-month medical cover

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Salutem International Medical Fund and NetOne through its mobile money platform One Money on Tuesday launched a medical aid scheme where all Zimbabweans can pay as little as US$1-a-month. The Salutem One Health scheme also intends to end the hassles services providers of long waiting periods to get paid for their services by medical aid funds. Under this scheme, subscribers have access to basic primary health care services which include the basic general practitioner consultations alongside getting generic medicines. The medical aid product has a three-month waiting…

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Harare City Introduces Health Insurance

Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere A community health insurance scheme covering several health services for Harare City’s citizens should be operational before the month ends, HealthTimes has learned. In an interview with the Harare Municipality Health Services Manager Mr Richard Chigerwe, he said the scheme was different from the Harare Municipality Medical Aid which covers their employees. He said residents will have to pay a monthly subscription of US$2 to access various healthcare services under the scheme named “Utano Wedu”. Harare Municipal Medical aid is a closed medical aid for City Council…

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Fraudulent claims bleed Zim’s healthcare funders over US$500 000 every quarter

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere The Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) is convinced that healthcare funders could be losing more than US$500 000 every quarter on the back of fraudulent claims made by some cartels in the health sector. The funds recovered in 2022, a period in which healthcare fund members collectively paid more than US$164 million towards settlements of claims by clients. In some cases, corrupt syndicates involving pharmacists and doctors would generate fraudulent medical aid claims and receive money for services not rendered AHFoZ board chair Mr Stanford…

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National Health Insurance stakeholder consultations begin in Zim

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere The Health and Child Care Ministry has commenced consultative engagements with stakeholders for the implementation of the National Health Insurance, a much expected and mulled over for 25 years health insurance product. At a time when over 90 percent of the country are uninsured health-wise, this NHI comes in designed to pool funds to provide access to quality, affordable basic health care services for the population of Zimbabwe according to their health needs, irrespective of their socioeconomic status. Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the stakeholders’…

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Health Minister To Present National Health Insurance Bill in parliament in July

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) is preparing to table the much anticipated National Health Insurance Bill in Parliament come July this year, HealthTimes has learnt. While in a previous interview with this publication, the Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora had promised the NHI would be rolled out by July this year, Zimbabweans may have to wait a bit longer as this is the time the NHI bill to govern the scheme’s operationalization may be presented to Parliament. So these are proposals…

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National Health Insurance ready by July

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora says the much-awaited and much-lobbied- for National Health Insurance (NHI) is expected to be rolled out in July this year. At a time where less than 10 percent of Zimbabweans have medical insurance, the Health Ministry have been mulling over this health insurance scheme for decades without ever materializing. In an interview, the Health Minister said the NHI is expected to be presented to Parliament anytime from now. I think quite a lot of work has been done and…

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Africa must rope in private sector in funding HIV Programs

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere WITH the discourse on funding for HIV programs being dominated by the Government and donor partners, a leading Malawian researcher says involving players is critical through innovative means such as taxes and levies. While countries such as Zimbabwe came up with the innovative AIDS levy, it has been an envy of many African countries. Professor Ann Maureen Phoya while addressing the media at an ICASA press conference Wednesday said the private sector should be roped in the HIV response financing. “We also need to raise money through…

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Health Ministry gets 9 percent of Zim’s 2024 Budget

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere Out of a Z$58.2 trillion budget for the year 2024, Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube on Thursday alloted to the Health and Child Care Ministry Z$6.3 trillion. Representing a meagre 9.2 percent, this is about 6 percent shy of the Abuja declaration agreed 15 percent which Zimbabwe ratified. Last year the Health Ministry got 11 percent which the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) decried as an uninspiring allotment. Announcing the 2024 Budget, Finance Minister Prof Ncube said Treasury only had Z$58.2 trillion in its purse against…

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