Category: Health Financing

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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“Report when Doctors Refer You To Their Private Surgeries” Says Minister Of Health

Takunda Mandura

The Minister of Health and Childcare, Dr Douglas Mombershora has told parliament that patients must report to him when you there are reffered to private practices from government hospital. By Takunda Mandura Responding to a question by Hon Getrude Mutandi during questions and answers session What is the Government policy on medical doctors who refer patients to their private surgeries? For example, expecting mothers are referred to their private surgeries when in actual fact, medical assistance can be rendered at Government hospitals,” said Hon Mutandi . Dr Mombershora assured the…

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Private Health Insurance (Medical Aid) and Huge Shortfalls in Zimbabwe: Policymakers playing ducks and drakes

Enock Musungwini

By: Enock Musungwini, MPH, MBA Introduction A shortfall is the difference between what a health service provider charges for a patient’s treatment and what the medical insurance company will pay for that service. Shortfalls are sometimes presented as a co-payment, which is the gap between what the Private Health Insurance (PHI) company or medical aid pays to the health service provider for service rendered to the patient and what the health service provider will have charged the patient, known as a tariff. According to Suriyawongpaisal et al. (2016), huge shortfalls…

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Zimbabweans value funeral cover more than Medical Aid…Only 11 Percent Zimbabweans Have Medical Aid

Michael Gwarisa

The loss in value in the local currency to the greenback, has forced several Zimbabwean medical aid policyholders to terminate medical aid policies while some are resorting to removing some beneficiaries from cover as a survival strategy. By Michael Gwarisa These developments come at the back of revelations that a few Zimbabweans are currently under medical aid cover and yet, more people have up-to-date funeral policy coverage. A study that was conducted by Finmark Trust and published by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) revealed that just 30 percent of…

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