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AT least 29 of the country’s medical aid societies and more than 500 doctors have pledged to abide by the new tariffs for medical consultations that Government has set. The tariffs to be announced and gazetted when the new health minister comes into office are part of efforts towards making healthcare accessible and solving the impasse between medical aid societies and doctors on what patients should pay.
The medical aid societies fall under the Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe while the doctors are members of the Zimbabwe Medical Association.
In an interview on the side-lines of the AFHOZ all stakeholders conference held in Victoria Falls last Thursday, ZIMA president Dr Enock Tatira said they were ready to accept the new tariffs.
“We wanted to have some input in the mapping out of the document containing these tariffs and we did and we believe that worthy service providers will accept the outcome,” said Dr Tatira.
“Though we are still to know how much it will be, the tariff has not been thumb-sucked. It has got both economic and accounting considerations in it. We know we might end up with a lower figure than we currently charge but this is all because of the prevailing economic climate in the country.”
Negotiations leading to the new tariffs had been marred by disagreements between medical doctors and medical aid societies primarily represented by ZIMA and AFHOZ resulting in patients continuing to pay huge shortfalls and co-payments while others had to go outside the country for cheaper health care.
AFHOZ chief executive Mrs Shylet Sanyanga said as health funders they were ready to abide by the new tariffs.
“We are law abiding citizens and if the minister has gazetted fees we are bound to it and have to comply, if we have any challenges regarding the levels of fees we will have to engage the regulator to highlight our challenges, otherwise AFHOZ members will comply. There has been research done from the region and neighbouring countries and this gives us confidence,” she said.
General practitioners are charging an average of $40 a visit while specialists are charging over $100 for each consultation.
Board of Health Care Funders of Southern Africa managing director Dr Humphrey Zokufa said the move was commendable
“Government has a role to play to shape the way health care services are rendered and costs associated with those services, for the benefit of the ordinary citizen,” he said.
The Government set the tariffs through the Joint Advisory Council, a committee set last year particularly to deal with issues of medical aid societies and tariffs, among other things.
Online Reporter