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Dr Parirenyatwa

Paidamoyo Chipunza Harare Bureau
FIVE out of the 35 medical aid societies are reported to have complied with the doctor’s demands while 12 which were given temporary licences at the beginning of the year are now operating within a grace period following expiry of their operating licences yesterday.

Sources close to the medical industry yesterday said the 12 societies were given temporary licenses to try and compel them to pay service providers their dues, progress of which was to be ascertained after six months.

It is also understood that the 12 defaulting societies were also asked to submit progress reports on how they were clearing their debts with service providers in the past six months.

“It is those reports that Government is now assessing to ascertain the level of commitment the health funders have put in settling their debts with service providers,” said the source.

Unconfirmed reports from the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZiMA) also indicated that only five medical aid societies managed to pay claims within the 60-day period and these were the only cards doctors would be accepting from today (July 1 2016).

Confirming the development yesterday, Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa said the permanent secretary was working with his team to find a lasting solution to the current impasse.

He said while there were medical aid societies whose operating licences expired yesterday, his ministry encourages all service providers to continue accepting all medical aid cards in respect of negotiations underway.

Dr Parirenyatwa said the health funders should also honour all claims to service providers within the stipulated 60-day period.

“We have asked the permanent secretary and his team to study what was brought in by the health funders in view of the current negotiations between the funders and the service providers.

“I urge all service providers to treat all patients with medical aid cards and equally I urge all health funders to pay up service providers.

“We are still negotiating and we hope soon we will get not only a solution but a lasting solution,” said Dr Parirenyatwa.

Since 2008, there has been an impasse between medical aid societies and service providers with regards to costs of medical services rendered.

This has seen members parting away with huge short falls and co-payments to meet the gazetted tariff.

The latest tiff was hightened recently when the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority garnished doctor’s accounts for tax liabilities accrued from claims made to medical aid societies.

ZiMA, however, argued that some of the claims were not being honoured, or if honoured they were paid less than the gazetted tariff.

This resulted in ZiMA resolving to stop treating patients on medical aid cards starting today to avoid being taxed on income never received.

But health funders insist that individual doctors have assured them that they will continue seeing their patients.

In their latest press release, the Association of Health Care Funders urged all their members who would have failed to access treatment to approach their respective medical aid.