Online Reporter
Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
THE push to restructure the medical aid industry took centre stage yesterday at a joint consultative meeting involving two key Parliamentary Portfolio Committees and industry stakeholders, as Government moves to eliminate conflicts of interest within the healthcare sector.
The meeting, hosted by the Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ), brought together the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care and the one on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
Deliberations focused on proposed amendments to Statutory Instrument 330 of 2000, which would prohibit medical aid societies from owning healthcare facilities.
Stakeholders said the reforms are aimed at improving transparency, accountability and fairness in the health financing system.
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care, Mr Discent Bajila, said the engagement was critical in shaping reforms that balance public interest and sector stability.
“This dialogue was absolutely necessary. We were able to hear the views of healthcare funders in full, as well as those of medical practitioners,” he said.
“The Statutory Instrument is timely, but engagements must be deepened to ensure that subscribers are not short-changed and that businesses are not negatively affected.
“At the same time, the integrity of practices within the health sector must be protected.”
Mr Bajila said Parliament’s priority is to ensure healthcare delivery is guided by the interests of citizens rather than commercial considerations.
“The central issue is the need to establish a national framework for scientifically determined tariffs. At present, there is no clear mechanism for how service costs are determined.
“Subscribers access services at private clinics, private hospitals, and even in the public sector without understanding how these costs are arrived at.
“It is, therefore, important that if institutions responsible for determining such costs have collapsed, they should be revived. If there is a need to reconstitute or redesign them, then that should be done. Ultimately, the focus must be on the health of every Zimbabwean. This should be the priority for Parliament, healthcare funders and medical practitioners alike,” he added.
While acknowledging the Government’s intentions, AHFoZ chief executive Ms Shylet Sanyanga cautioned that the proposed changes could have unintended consequences if not carefully implemented.
“We believe there is a need for Government to allow the Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe, as the industry representative, to be part of the solution.
“This could result in a less disruptive approach. The proposed statutory instruments, which require network societies to disinvest from service provision, risk depriving members of alternative access to quality healthcare.
“These facilities have been providing viable options for patients and supporting the healthcare system. While intervention may be necessary, this approach is extreme and could dismantle a system that is currently functioning. Rebuilding such a system would not be easy,” she said.
Ms Sanyanga said funder-owned facilities presently serve as a critical buffer by offering affordable healthcare options.
