Harare (New Ziana) -The establishment of National Health Insurance Fund is now in its final stages with the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce working on it now discussing who will be in charge of its administration.
Chief director responsible for Public Health in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Munyaradzi Dobbie said this while addressing delegates attending the annual Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe (PSZ) and College of Primary Care Physicians of Zimbabwe (CPCPZ) Joint Congress in the capital on Friday.
He said so far, the establishment of the National Health Insurance Scheme was work in progress with an announcement on the outcome expected soon.
The Inter-Ministerial Taskforce involved in the exercise, includes the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development as well that of Higher and Tertiary Education, Enovation, Science and Technology.
“The challenge with the National Health Insurance is currently who is going to be running it, is it the Ministry of Health and Child Care, is it the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, or is it going to be the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare who already have the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) who has some funds being collected,” said Dr Dobbie.
The National Health Insurance Scheme seeks to ensure that health services are accessible to all citizens, in line with section 76 of the Constitution, which stipulates that: “Every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to have access to basic healthcare services.”
Studies have show that only 10 percent of Zimbabweans are on medical aid, leaving 90 percent without any medical cover to either pay cash for health care, seek alternative sources like traditional medical practices, or to leave without completely.
Like NSSA which was established through an Act of Parliament in 1989, every person in formal employment would be compelled to contribute to the Fund, which would be used to finance the public health system in the country including purchasing essential drugs and equipment as well as building requisite infrastructure.
New Ziana
