Harare (New Ziana) -The Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) on Monday adopted a new constitution at a Special General Meeting held in Harare, where a whopping 1 015 out of the 3 602 members who attended abstained from voting.
The new constitution was adopted by 2 587 votes against 131 with those who abstained saying they were not familiar with its provisions as copies were not distributed at the meeting.
Adoption of the new constitution paves way for a reconstituted board, which is expected to restore confidence and improve the performance of the medical aid scheme, which was on the brink of collapse following years of mismanagement and financial woes to until the government threw it a lifeline April this year.
The SGM drew delegates from across the country, with the primary agenda being the adoption of the draft constitution, which introduces a new governance structure for the society.
Founded in 1930 by civil servants, PSMAS originally operated as the Public Service Medical Aid Society before opening its membership to the wider public and currently the government contributes approximately US$5 million monthly towards civil servants subscriptions.
Under the new constitution, the board will comprise thirteen directors, three of whom will be nominated by the government through its designated representative, while another three will be elected directly by individual members of the society during the Annual General Meeting.
An additional three directors will be nominated by the most representative public service employee organization while two directors will be drawn from public sector institutions that, by law, are not permitted to form workers’ or trade unions.
One board member will be appointed by the elected directors to fill any expertise gaps, as guided by the Nominations and Remuneration Committee’s Terms of Reference while the final seat will be held by the Principal Officer, who will serve as the executive director.
In August this year PSMAS was ranked the worst-performing medical aid provider in the country in a new nationwide survey of doctors conducted by the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZiMA).
Doctors surveyed cited chronic delays in settling claims for services already provided, poor communication, and inadequate customer support.
Practitioners warned that such inefficiencies put significant financial strain on their practices and, in some cases, compromise patient care.
New Ziana
