News / Health
Govt orders private doctors, hospitals to scrap co-payments
04 Jan 2014 at 18:54hrs | Views
The government has directed all private medical doctors and hospitals to scrap co-payments for patients on medical aid as a means of harmonising consultation fees.
The development was revealed by Health and Child Care Minister, Dr David Parirenyatwa after his ministry held a meeting with representatives of medical doctors, health funders and private hospitals to finalise the issue of harmonised consultation tariffs for medical practitioners.
Dr Parirenyatwa told ZBCafter the meeting that the stalemate between the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) and the Association of Medical Aid Funders (AHFOZ) had been resolved.
He said the agreed tariffs will be gazetted soon.
However, it is not clear whether the tariffs have been reviewed upwards or downwards as the Minister could not reveal the figures.
The government intervened after ZIMA and AHFOZ failed to come to a consensus on the figures to charge for consultation in 2013.
Doctors were proposing an increase from US$35 to US$50 per visit but medical aid societies were insisting on US$35.
The development was revealed by Health and Child Care Minister, Dr David Parirenyatwa after his ministry held a meeting with representatives of medical doctors, health funders and private hospitals to finalise the issue of harmonised consultation tariffs for medical practitioners.
Dr Parirenyatwa told ZBCafter the meeting that the stalemate between the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) and the Association of Medical Aid Funders (AHFOZ) had been resolved.
However, it is not clear whether the tariffs have been reviewed upwards or downwards as the Minister could not reveal the figures.
The government intervened after ZIMA and AHFOZ failed to come to a consensus on the figures to charge for consultation in 2013.
Doctors were proposing an increase from US$35 to US$50 per visit but medical aid societies were insisting on US$35.
Source - zbc
