Government’s intention to stop medical aid societies from
owning hospitals, pharmacies and laboratories could disadvantage over a million
people on medical insurance and other low-to-medium income earners.
The Government has been considering introducing a Medical
Aid Bill that will, among other issues, prevent medical aid societies from
providing services.
This will expose people on medical aid to highly priced
medical services and in turn lead to quick exhaustion of one’s benefits before
receiving comprehensive care.
Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo has on
several occasions warned medical aid societies to “put their house in order”
arguing that there was “a huge conflict of interest”.
“Medical insurers should concentrate on funding and service
providers should concentrate on service provision. I hope this message gives
enough warning and ample time for us to start preparing for the new
dispensation,” Dr Moyo was quoted as saying last month during the Association
of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) annual conference.
A random check by The Herald has shown that the pricing of
services in medical aid-administered health facilities is cheaper compared to
prices in other private health facilities.
For example, some private dentists are charging about $480
as consultation fees, while some facilities owned by health insurers are
charging as low as $50 for the same service.
Surgical tooth extraction at private facilities costs about
$1 200 against $350.
The costs of laboratory services administered by health
insurers are also cheaper by almost 50 percent.
The case for facilities owned by health insurers has been
further strengthened over the past three months that Government doctors have
been on strike, resulting in public health facilities operating at suboptimal
levels, leading to a lot of pressure on private and mission hospitals.
The situation has been worsened by the strike by Harare
City Council nurses that has resulted in only six out of 37 clinics operating.
The facilities have averted a potential health disaster as
they have catered for their members who would otherwise have also been queuing
for services with other people who are not on medical aid.
AHFoZ chief executive officer Ms Shylet Sanyanga said these
medical aid-administered facilities were not a conflict of interest, but were
complementing Government’s efforts in providing the much-needed care.
She said in line with good corporate governance practices,
these facilities are run by separate business units, properly constituted and
running separately from the medical aid society.
“The healthcare facilities are complementing the Government
by providing services and saving lives of the people of this country who would
otherwise have no alternative to turn to, given the prevailing pricing
mismatches and shortfalls. The ordinary person will have less options to turn
to,” said Ms Sanyanga.
Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care
chairwoman Dr Ruth Labode said the current state of affairs provides an
opportunity for policymakers to reflect on the impact of some of their
decisions.
She said while Parliament was still waiting to see and
debate on the proposed Bill, should it include a provision banning medical aid
societies from offering health services, the provision is likely to be resisted
considering that most low to medium-income earners were benefiting from the
same arrangement.
“That provision might not pass in Parliament because as we
speak, most civil servants are actually relying on this arrangement. Public
hospitals are closed and private facilities are much more expensive.
“Patients have little option and these facilities have
played a greater role in making health services accessible at affordable
prices, particularly for civil servants,” she said. Herald
0 comments:
Post a Comment