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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Reporter
PREMIER Services Medical Investment (Pvt) Ltd employees have set up camp at Parkview Hospital in Harare in a bid to force management to address their long-standing grievances, which also include non-payment of salaries for the past three months and allowance arrears dating back to eight months ago.
At least 40 employees from PSMI’s centres in Harare, Marondera, Rusape, Chiredzi and Beitbridge have been staying at the hospital since Friday last week and the numbers are expected to continue growing as workers from Gweru and Bulawayo will be joining the camp soon.
The workers, who have occupied the first floor of the renal unit, say they will not move until the shareholder and their management give them audience to address the issues they have raised on several occasions.
They are also seeking a meeting with senior Government officials with the hope that their plight will be addressed.
Speaking to The Herald yesterday, middle management employee representative Ms Maneta Dzauma said the workers could not continue reporting for duty when they were failing to pay their rentals or even put food on the table.
“The situation we have is dire. We have people who are being evicted from their homes, we have others whose children are not able to pay school fees for their children and some whose children are collapsing from hunger. It’s a reality. We might not all be suffering the same but we came here in solidarity and understanding each other’s situation. We do not need to wait until all of us are experiencing the same challenge for us to start acting. We will wait here for management to come and respond to the issues we have raised with them for a long time. If they fail to address us, we will seek audience with higher offices in the Government,” she said.
PSMI is the largest private healthcare service provider in Zimbabwe catering for the majority of Government employees who are members of the Premier Service Medical Aid Society through its hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and laboratories.
Currently, over 150 facilities under PSMI have been closed, denying PSMAS members access to the healthcare services they offer. Parkview hospital, where employees are camped, is only offering renal services for dialysis patients who cannot miss their sessions. However, that service is only being offered as a day service when it should be a 24-hour service to ensure patients have access at any given time.
PSMI has been involved in continuous battles with its employees who been complaining over a host of staff welfare issues.
Government last year came to PSMAS’ rescue with a $4,2 billion package that was meant to help clear PSMI salary arrears and help the entity to restock medicines that would allow it to continue offering healthcare services among other things.
However, PSMAS is said to have managed to only pay basic salary arrears up to November last year while the various allowances the workers are entitled to remained outstanding. The employees have not received their salaries and allowances since then.
“We are of the impression that when we first presented our issue, the leadership only agreed in principle that we should be capacitated, modalities of which were possibly not given. We have our own conspiracy theories which are unfounded but they are still theories which we can have. We do not want a piecemeal solution but we need a holistic approach to solving this crisis so that we can continue to offer our mandate of providing healthcare,” said Ms Dzauma.
She said PSMI employees were willing to work to turn around the entity’s operations to make sure that people who had been most inconvenienced by the closure of PSMI health facilities could resume getting services.
The regulator of Medical Aid Societies last year ordered a forensic audit at PSMAS which was expected to investigate allegations of mismanagement and deviation from its core business.
“It is not just us that we are concerned about, it’s the patients as well. PSMAS currently has other service providers that they are paying here in Harare but how many people can get admitted at these facilities? We have hospitals around the country where people can get services. Healthcare it is a basic necessity, a right of every citizen. We have relatives who are members of PSMAS, we are members ourselves and we have beneficiaries who cannot access services. We are willing to work, we are available, and we have shown our commitment by continuing to show up despite the challenges that we have faced. We have not given up and we wouldn’t want to give up without talking to the decision makers who might bring a stop to this problem,” added Ms Dzauma.
PSMI national workers’ committee chairman Mr Munyaradzi Nharaunda said dialogue was important and camping at the hospital was a way for the employees to seek that from the employer.
“These people are here because most of them can no longer afford the most basics. We have engaged our management to at least give them advance salaries but that has not been possible. We want management to see how bad the situation is for us. We decided to come and stay here so that we can get the attention of the shareholder and management. It is time we address this situation once and for all,” he said.
Other employees who spoke to The Herald also called for dialogue to ensure that they could live a better life and restore their dignity.
Mrs Alice Matau, who is due for retirement, said she could not go with nothing.
“I joined PSMI in 2004 when it started and we worked hard for us to get where are. Last week I was told that since I had reached 60 years I should now go into retirement. I am ok with retiring but when I asked about my retirement package I was told that there was no money. How can I be expected to just go empty handed? All I ask is for the company to give me my dues so that I can have somewhere to start from,” she said.
Mr Patrick Usari said he had been evicted from his lodgings in Kambuzuma for failing to pay rent.
“Just last week I was evicted from the house I was staying in. I have not been able to pay my rent for more than five months so they threw my belongings outside. I have since asked my friends and relatives to keep my belongings for me while I look for an alternative. My wife and children are staying with another relative and I am staying here at work with the hope that we will get a breakthrough,” he said.
Another employee who preferred to remain anonymous said life had not been easy for her.
“I am a widow so I am raising my children on my own. As we speak I cannot even afford to take my children to school or even give them food. We are not here seeking attention but seriously we cannot survive like this. I cannot just go home and sit but I need to feed my children. I am willing to become a vendor if I leave PSMI but they should give me my money,” she said.
PSMI spokesperson Mr Obey Nhakura said the entity was faced with a myriad of challenges which had contributed to the current situation.
“As has been widely reported in the media, PSMI is facing chronic cash flow challenges which emanated from a number of issues. These include, among other issues, ripple effects of sub economic subscriptions and cash flow ceilings mainly adversely affecting its main debtor/shareholder, in a hyperinflationary environment.
“Nonetheless, concerted engagements are underway incorporating all critical stakeholders to resolve the situation, which has regrettably protracted. Workers have vowed to continue camping at Parkview Hospital until they are addressed directly by the shareholder. Management has since conveyed the request accordingly. However, the workers were not satisfied with the response from the shareholder resulting in the current impasse,” he said.
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