Zimbabweans yesterday woke up to a new shocking fee
structure for different health services provided by a group of specialist
doctors with the new fees ranging from $900 to $3 750.
According to a circular by the National Physicians
Association of Zimbabwe (NaPAZ), patients approaching any of the specialists
for the first time at their rooms will now be charged ZW$1 800.
The doctors will also require a further ZW$1 050 from the
same patient on his next visit for review.
If it is the specialist visiting the patient in a hospital
facility, the patient will be required to pay ZW$1 800 for each visit the
doctor pays for the first four days and ZW$1 200 from day five going forward.
Patients will only pay ZW$900 per day if they spend at
least two weeks in admission.
However, patients with critical conditions such as those in
the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU) will be required
to pay ZW$3 750 for the doctor to attend to them for the first time.
From day two to day four, the same patient will be required
to pay additional ZW$2 250 each day and ZW$1 500 each day from day five going
forward.
“In light of the recent announcement of SI 142 introducing
the Zimbabwean dollar as the sole legal tender, the NaPAZ executive met today
(26 June) and agreed on the following,
“To transition from the multi-currency based tariffs to
Zimbabwe dollar based tariffs,” reads part of the circular from the
specialists’ Association.
Although this new fee structure was said to be effective
immediately, the Association slated Saturday July 6 as a day for a consultative
meeting with its members.
Although the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) said they
had not yet received any communication from the physicians, who are an affiliate
of ZIMA, its secretary general Dr Sacrifice Chirisa said all medical doctors
would be having their meeting on medical fees this Saturday.
“I cannot confirm nor deny that fee structure because
physicians have their Association but are still an affiliate of ZiMA.
“We have not yet received that communication and our
meeting on new fees is taking place this Saturday,” said Dr Chirisa.
Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe chief
executive officer Mrs Shylet Sanyanga said while some physicians seem to have
implemented these new fees, some were still charging the old rates.
“There has not been any official communication to AHFoZ
from the physicians. It is not clear how the fees have been derived considering
that a doctors’ consultation does not require any import component,” said Mrs
Sanyanga.
She said these fees were not affordable even for people on
medical aid.
Mrs Sanyanga however said there were some physicians who
were still accepting medical aid patients at reasonable rates.
“Members can contact their medical aid societies for
advice,” said Mrs Sanyanga.
Community Working Group on Health executive director Mr
Itai Rusike described the new tariffs as “shocking, unacceptably high and
beyond the reach of many”.
He said if allowed to charge these fees, practically
Zimbabweans would have been denied their right to health, which is enshrined in
the national Constitution.
“With less than 10 percent of the country’s population on
medical insurance, unemployment rate of over 85 percent and a majority of those
that are employed earning less than ZW$1000, this means very few people will
afford these consultation fees by physicians. Ultimately, people will die from
home,” said Mr Rusike.
Although no official comment could be obtained from the
NaPAZ, information gathered by our Harare Bureau indicate that the new fee
structure had been circulated to all NaPAZ members, some of whom were already
implementing it.
Before abolishment of the multicurrency system by
Government on Tuesday, the doctors were charging US$80 and US$50 for initial
and review consultations.
The US dollar costs however translate to about RTGS$720 and
RTGS$450 respectively using the parallel market rate of US$1:ZW$9.
Meanwhile, retailers have heeded the call by the Government
of removal of the multi-currency regime and restricted domestic transactions to
local currency in an effort to improve the affordability of goods and services
by the majority.
Some shops, especially those run by Indians and Chinese
operators, who were rejecting electronic payments are now accepting local
currency payments. Chronicle
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