New US$3-a-year health scheme for poor communities

Remember Deketeke

Online Correspondent

A new Government-backed health insurance scheme that allows vulnerable residents to access clinic services for just US$3 a year is expected to significantly improve healthcare access in poor urban communities.

The Community Health Equity Fund (CHEF), launched in Hopley on Wednesday, grants members free routine council clinic services and subsidised maternity care, easing financial barriers that have long kept marginalised families from seeking timely medical help.

Under the scheme, residents enrol with a once-off US$1 registration fee and a US$2 annual subscription.

In return, they are exempt from standard consultation fees at council clinics and gain access to a benefits package that includes medicines, wellness clubs, laboratory and radiology services, antenatal care, delivery, caesarean sections, ultrasound scans and post-natal care.

Officials say the model is designed to reduce out-of-pocket spending, promote early treatment and strengthen local health systems.

Launching the programme in a speech read on his behalf by Acting Permanent Secretary Dr Stephen Banda, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said the scheme would play a crucial role in ensuring that Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 becomes a reality for all citizens, not only those with financial means.

“The vision of this country is to become an upper-middle-income economy by 2030,” he said.

“The vision of my ministry is to achieve the highest possible level of health and quality of life for all citizens by 2030.

“We are committed to this vision.

“To achieve this vision, we must ensure we address the healthcare needs of underprivileged communities like Hopley.”

Minister Mombeshora said CHEF, which is being seed-funded with US$709 000 through the UNFPA Strategic Investment Facility, aligns with Government’s broader push to build a national health insurance framework that expands domestic health financing and promotes community participation.