Medical aid societies call for inclusion on regulatory board
Insurance 24 Reporter.
Harare- Health Funders in Zimbabwe want Medical aid societies represented on the board of the proposed regulatory authority since the draft bill has since excluded them.
During the Bill’s consultative meeting held during the week by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) criticised the fact that the draft Bill gave health funders no voice in the constitution of the board and no representation .
The association also argued that medical aid societies should not be barred from recommending that its members use its own services, hospital or specialist medical units.
“It (a medical aid society) should not force members to use its own facility. There is, however, no justification for prohibiting it from making a recommendation or giving an inducement in a manner that any competitor would,” said the association..
It also argued against annual registration renewal of existing funders, saying this created uncertainty in the organisations.
AHFoZ pointed out that the proposed regulatory authority would be costly to run and suggested the number of board members should be reduced adding that the draft Bill did not create a lasting solution to the problem of fraudulent claims or offer solutions to the failure of employers to remit contributions to medical aid societies on time or at all.
Deregistration of a medical aid society should be done in terms of a court order, unless the society agreed to the deregistration, argued AFHoZ.
