admintariffs in the country.
Dr Mombeshora, who chairs the JAC said the Government might come up with a position towards the end of the month.
The JAC meeting was held last month to chart the way forward.
“The process seems to take longer because of other issues of equal importance but we anticipate that by the end of the month we would have come up with tariffs for all medical disciplines,” said Dr Mombeshora.
Government, he said, had since consulted on tariffs for other specialists such as anaesthetists and paediatricians.
Government took over setting of medical tariffs for all disciplines after the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZiMA) and the Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) failed to agree on a common tariff.
The two parties were given some time to propose consultation fees and those for particular procedures but they failed to agree.
Sources close to the negotiations said the two parties failed to agree with AHFoZ arguing that ZiMA’s proposal was too high while ZiMA said their current tariffs were too low.
AHFoZ’s consultation fees for general practitioners are US$22 but doctors have already started charging up to US$40, leaving those on medical aid to pay the remaining US$18 as co-payment.
The general practitioners had proposed a fee increase for consultation fees from US$22 to US$50.
Specialist doctors are also charging at least US$80 to more than US$100 for each visit made to their consulting rooms.
Their failure to agree forced Government to intervene.
Mr Munyaradzi Maposa of Harare said doctor’s tariffs especially those for specialists were too high and required Government’s intervention.
“I was shocked the other day when I was asked to pay US$120 as consultation fee by a specialist in Harare,” Mr Maposa said.
He said he was having a terrible headache which lasted for about a week forcing his general practitioner to refer him to a specialist.
“If someone charges US$120 for a single visit, how much will the actual operation cost. How many people can afford those costs save for the few on medical aid,” he said.
Most people have criticised local medical fees for being high compared to other countries in the region and beyond. This scenario has forced some medical aid societies to send their members for treatment outside the country.
They argue that medical services are cheaper in countries like South Africa and India.
“Until the issue of tariffs is resolved, sanity will never prevail in the medical sector. Societies will continue directing their members to service providers whose charges are reasonable,” said an official from a local society who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He said Government should see to it that all medical tariffs were regulated for the good of everyone.
Online Reporter