Health and child care minister David Parirenyatwa
Last week, the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) announced that, starting from the 1st of July, its members would demand cash up front from patients.
ZIMAclaims its members were owed over $200 million by medical aid companies that are not remitting money collected subscribers.
The association said the situation was made worse by tax collector, ZIMRA, taking its dues even when doctors had not been paid by the medical insurance firms.
According to parliamentary watch dog, Veritas, MDC-T’s Mabvuku-Tafara MP James Maridadi had his request granted for Parirenyatwa to address legislators on the issue.
“Contributions to the debate came from all sides of the House, with MPs illustrating the impossible situation faced by patients if ZIMA members went ahead with their threat to refuse to accept medical aid cards from 1st July onwards,†Veritas reported Tuesday.
“ZIMA members complain that because medical aid societies do not pay their claims timeously or at all, unpaid doctors find themselves paying income tax on income not received.
“Various aspects of the problem were raised, including that medical aid societies are owed large sums by employers, including Government.
“MPs demanded that the Minister of Health and Child Care explain matters to the House next week.â€
President Robert Mugabe weighed into the debate at the weekend, accusing the doctors of greed.
He was speaking at the burial national hero Felix Muchemwa at the Heroes Acre in the capital.
Said the veteran leader: “Today what do we read? A standoff between doctors and medical aids…have our doctors lost the values that used to define them?
“True we expect everyone, doctors included to be rewarded for services provided, but is not important for doctors to see the social issues that surround us…there are those restrictions that don’t allow our economy to run smoothly.
“We never cease to wonder what has become of the Hippocratic Oath that demands that care must nevertheless to be given to the sick even where you are being paid less.
“Have our doctors lost their values that used to define them?”
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