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PSMAS a De-service to its Membership

02 Oct 2014 at 11:14hrs | Views

The incessant problems posed on us, subscribers, by Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) are a cause for concern. At the moment we are required to commit ourselves to core-payment when we visit the medical practitioners or we are required to pay cash up-front then instructed to claim from the society.

Pharmacies are reluctant to give drugs now like they used to do in the past. They politely tell you to visit Premier Medical Aid Society pharmacies which in most cases are overwhelmed by vast numbers of clients and are normally under stocked with drugs. If one visits the pharmacy located next to PSMAS headquarters or Parkview Pharmacy in Harare, you would wonder what hell it is for the ailing patients. They are kept in long and winding tedious queues groaning in argon of pain.
Sadly, PSMAS pharmacies, in most cases, are under stocked that patients can hardly get all essential drugs they need. Therefore, they have to fork out hard cash for them to access drugs.  Surely this defeats the essence of being a subscribing member for such a nothing to do society.

Human lives are subjected to horror by the level of neglect by PSMAS. It seems the PSMAS is not taking it upon itself to prop-up the indispensible needs of its membership. I think it is prudent to liquidate this society if it has reached a precarious position where it cannot extricate itself.

The worst affected are civil servants who constitute over 75% of the subscribers. This surely is a national security issue as this state of affairs is threatening this critical category which is useful in the implementation of Government policies and its related programmes.

If PSMAS is not capable of running its affairs it can be merged with other viable well performing medical aid societies to serve human lives.

When I phoned Guardian Pharmacy in the capital which is situated at corner George Silundika/Fifth Street in Harare, which used to offer us excellent using PSMAS card, I was told that the pharmacy is not giving drugs to PSMAS card holders at the moment, unless if you are a sugar and/or blood pressure (BP) patient; for the rest, one has to pay cash to purchase the prescriptions. The same fashion applies to a number of pharmacies scattered across the city. So how will we survive under such torrid conditions? Is it worth to remain members who do not enjoy the benefits as defined by the conditions and terms of the membership?

It seems there is an escalation of our problems each day as we can hardly access any meaningful medical attention. We appeal to authorities to come to our rescue before this artificial holocaust engulfs us.

Surely I can confirm that many people are losing their lives owing to this awkward scenario bedevilling our health. PSMAS is giving us a raw deal! We need a rescue strategy sooner than later, lest we sink into mud soon! 

Source - Suitable Kajau
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