adminZvikomborero Parafini
A HARARE trio yesterday appeared in court after being implicated in a CIMAS fraud involving over $200 000.
Lawrence Rambakudzibgwa, Maybe Amanda Mbofana and Mackenzie Nkomo were not asked to plead when they appeared before magistrate Tendai Hove.
They were remanded to December 28 for trial commencement.
The complainant is CIMAS Medical Aid Society, represented by its forensic and loss control manager Romeo Gava.
Rambakudzibgwa is a driver at Vlermag Pharmacy while Mbofana is a dispensary assistant at the same pharmacy.
Nkomo is an accounts clerk at Willowvale Medical Centre.
Rambakudzibgwa and Mbofana are also members of CIMAS.
The court heard that Vlermag Pharmacy provides CIMAS Medical Aid Society access to medication.
For CIMAS to process a payment claim for medication, from a member, the member should have been seen by a medical doctor who prescribes the medicines and issues a prescription.
The claims are submitted in either manual or electronic format and valid prescriptions should be attached on the claims.
The prescribing doctor should be endorsed and the electronic claims are done through New Health 263 claim switching portal. It is alleged that between June 1 and August 19, the trio connived to defraud CIMAS.
Nkomo supplied Rambakudzibgwa and Mbofana with blank prescription forms from Willowvale Medical Centre.
Rambakudzibgwa allegedly raised 10 fraudulent prescriptions while Mbofana raised six in their names claiming that they had been examined by Dr Nyamukondewa of Willowvale Medical Centre.
They took the prescriptions to Vlermag Pharmacy and claimed various medications.
The pharmacy later submitted the prescriptions to CIMAS which paid $262 282.
The offence was unearthed during a quality check leading to their arrest.
Anesu Chirenje prosecuted.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter