Harare, (New Ziana) -Zimbabwe is on course to establish the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which has been on the cards for more than 20 years, a senior government official has said.

Addressing a stakeholders consultative meeting in the capital on Tuesday, Ministry of Health and Child Care permanent secretary Dr Aspect Maunganidze said the health insurance scheme is aimed at providing equitable, affordable and high quality healthcare for all Zimbabweans.

He said the scheme is also aimed at eliminating financial barriers to healthcare access for citizens, particularly the less privileged.

“It is a scheme designed to protect our citizens from the devastating impact of out-of-pocket health care expenses,” he explained.

Dr Maunganidze lamented the difficulties that citizens face in times of health emergencies as they have to take care of such situations by forking out funds from their pockets.

He said all healthcare schemes in developed countries are anchored on robust health systems that take care of the vulnerable.

“As you deliberate national health insurance, let us be guided by a number of core principles, key of which is inclusivity, equity, quality, efficiency, accountability and sustainability,” he said.

At least 8 to 10 percent of the country’s population is insured, Dr Maunganidze said, the majority by corporates for those in the private sector, with the rest over 90 percent, uninsured, the population that the government is targeting under the proposed scheme.

Dr Maunganidze said the launch of the national stakeholders consultative meeting marked a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to establish a comprehensive and sustainable national health insurance scheme.

“I think you are aware that it has been a talk over the last two to two and a half decades and for some, you end up feeling like a gimmick where everyone says we are going to do NHI, NHI. I think it’s high time we really take this up,” he said.

New Ziana