MAYOR CLAIMS HMMAS BOUGHT PROPERTIES WITHOUT TITLE DEEDS

Talent Gore

HARARE Mayor Jacob Mafume says the Harare Municipal Medical Aid Society acquired properties without title deeds, which they cannot locate, and it needs to be revamped and reformed to cater for the Council workers.

Mafume’s comments followed revelations by Ward 41 Councillor, Kudzai Kadzombe, that City of Harare workers were failing to access treatment yet they were paying their medical aid contributions. 

Mafume said it was difficult to expect the City of Harare to run a medical aid scheme given its opaque way of operating.

“They (medical aid scheme) bought properties that they can’t find, properties without title deeds. It’s (H.M.M.A.S) a bloated board structure of over 70 board members, some will see it as throwing money into a bottomless pit,” he said.

“I raised the issue that the way that the health fund is being handled, is top heavy. 

“They bought a clinic in Ruwa, which is basically a 14-roomed house costing over US$800 000.

“Where can you buy something in Ruwa for US$800 000?

“Honestly, it must have been a very big place.

“There are more issues that we have to deal with as far as HMMAS is structured.”

Mafume said the medical aid scheme needed a thorough examination.

“I think I am going to refer it to Human Resources and we will look at remittances to HMMAS.

“We are requesting for a place to build a morgue and a place to build a clinic.

“They bought properties in Norton, Mukuvisi Woodlands and Ruwa and cannot account for the money.

“And lots of money has gone down the drain on baseless expenditure.

“So it’s more than just sending money to that organisation.

“We can send money but it might not even assist in terms of what you’re raising.

“It has to be revamped, reformed so that it adequately caters for the needs of the workers.”

Mayor Mafume added that HMMAS bought a clinic in Glen Norah which was not working at full capacity.

“So, it’s a cocktail of issues that are bedevilling HMMAS and its inability to account. We need to look at it a bit more closely than just throwing money into the problem,” he said.