News / Health
Ministry allays fears on medical aid
24 May 2016 at 01:40hrs | Views
THE Ministry of Health and Child Care has allayed fears that doctors will demand cash upfront from patients on medical aid saying the government will make sure that medical aid societies pay service providers.
The Zimbabwe Medical Association (Zima) has said patients will from July 1 this year be required to pay doctors cash upfront and claim reimbursements from their medical aid societies.
Zima argued that doctors were paying tax to Zimra for claims that would have not been settled by medical aid societies and at times they were being forced to borrow to pay the taxman.
The Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Aldrin Musiiwa, acknowledged that medical aid societies were not paying doctors but said the Ministry would not allow patients to be disadvantaged.
"We won't allow that to happen because it will disadvantage patients yet they've already paid. We're chasing medical aid societies' to pay up.
"The law requires doctors to render services to members of the public. When a patient produces a medical aid card they're expected to treat them and be paid by medical aid societies' within a period of six months. If they don't accept that they're breaking the law," said Musiiwa.
He noted that it was not fair for doctors to borrow money to pay their tax obligations.
"It's a complicated situation that's being created by medical aid societies that aren't honouring their obligations. Zimra is chasing doctors for tax yet they haven't been paid. The only way we can solve this is to push the medical aid societies to pay up," added Musiiwa.
In January this year, there was uproar after Zimra started garnishing doctors' bank accounts for income tax payments at a time when they were owed by PSMAS.
Musiiwa said he was hopeful that PSMAS would soon be able to pay its debts following the government's intervention.
"People should understand that PSMAS isn't a government but a private institution. It's just that a majority of its members are government employees, which is why the government is concerned.
"There was serious abuse of funds but the government intervened," said Musiiwa.
Recently, the government threatened to cancel licences for medical aid societies who were not meeting their obligations, giving them a June 30 deadline.
The Zimbabwe Medical Association (Zima) has said patients will from July 1 this year be required to pay doctors cash upfront and claim reimbursements from their medical aid societies.
Zima argued that doctors were paying tax to Zimra for claims that would have not been settled by medical aid societies and at times they were being forced to borrow to pay the taxman.
The Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Aldrin Musiiwa, acknowledged that medical aid societies were not paying doctors but said the Ministry would not allow patients to be disadvantaged.
"We won't allow that to happen because it will disadvantage patients yet they've already paid. We're chasing medical aid societies' to pay up.
"The law requires doctors to render services to members of the public. When a patient produces a medical aid card they're expected to treat them and be paid by medical aid societies' within a period of six months. If they don't accept that they're breaking the law," said Musiiwa.
"It's a complicated situation that's being created by medical aid societies that aren't honouring their obligations. Zimra is chasing doctors for tax yet they haven't been paid. The only way we can solve this is to push the medical aid societies to pay up," added Musiiwa.
In January this year, there was uproar after Zimra started garnishing doctors' bank accounts for income tax payments at a time when they were owed by PSMAS.
Musiiwa said he was hopeful that PSMAS would soon be able to pay its debts following the government's intervention.
"People should understand that PSMAS isn't a government but a private institution. It's just that a majority of its members are government employees, which is why the government is concerned.
"There was serious abuse of funds but the government intervened," said Musiiwa.
Recently, the government threatened to cancel licences for medical aid societies who were not meeting their obligations, giving them a June 30 deadline.
Source - chronicle
