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WAR veterans want to form a medical aid association to ensure healthcare is available and accessible to all its members across the country.
This would be done through the Ministry of Welfare for War Veterans, War Collaborators, Former Political Detainees and Restrictees.
This comes after the former freedom fighters also secured funding to construct memorial hospitals in the country’s 10 provinces.
Speaking after touring Premier Service Medical Investments (PSMI) renal unit in Harare recently, permanent secretary in the ministry, Brigadier-General (Retired) Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi, said the move was necessitated by the fact that most of them were ageing and were experiencing more age-related health challenges which needed the attention of doctors frequently.
He said there were more than 30 000 war veterans, about 200 000 war collaborators and about 8 000 war restrictees throughout the country.
Rtd Brig-Gen Tapfumaneyi said these members used their own money for medical treatment and then claimed reimbursements from his ministry after service, a situation that compromised most of them as they might not have the money when they get sick.
“This situation is not sustainable as fellow comrades have to part, upfront, with the little they have before they claim from the ministry. To this end, we have come up with an idea of establishing an independent medical aid for war veterans,” said Rtd Brig Gen Tapfumaneyi.
“We want to get medical care under one roof and as close to where we reside as possible throughout the country. This is where PSMI comes in with its widely spread medical facilities and its good quality hospitals and clinics across the country,” he said.
He said their visit to PSMI was mainly to appreciate and understand how the PSMI renal care centre operates as part of their already laid out plan to built two 264-bedded hospitals by 2018 in Harare and Victoria Falls.
“These hospitals will service our members and also the general public. It is our desire to also have a renal care centre of this magnitude or better since we already have about 10 veterans on renal care,” he said.
Rtd Brig-Gen Tapfumaneyi, however, bemoaned the lack of kidney transplant facilities in Zimbabwe where people have to travel to India for surgery.
“We are planning on having a fully-fledged renal care centre that not only does dialysis, but also have capacity to do kidney transplants. We, however, have challenges like certain health policies and the legal framework in the country, which needs to be revised to accommodate organ donations and transplants,” he said.
PSMI group managing director Dr Farai Muchena said his organisation was willing to partner the war veterans in their endeavour.
“As a group, we are also pleased to partner with war veterans so that we share ideas and create better health for our communities. If you need anything on the hospitals you are planning to build, our staff will be there to assist in any way we can,” he said.
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