MR. MADZIMURE: Thank you Madam Speaker. Minister, are you aware that the majority of the people in Zimbabwe do not have medical aid. Your focus seems to be directed on people who have medical aid. Minister, you were also there watching the medical aid societies increasing subscriptions without doctors doing the same. Why were you doing that? Why are you concentrating on medical aid when our people are not employed and they do not subscribe?
DR. CHIMEDZA: Thank you Madam Speaker and thank you hon. member for the pertinent question. Probably, I might want to enlighten the hon. member why I am concentrating on medical aid societies. The private sector business in terms of the statistics that we have is normally a business that the medical aid societies are dominant in. The way they have been raising their fees is not regulated by the Ministry, it is a business decision for them. We know how regulating prices has done at some point. It is not our desire for us to tell the medical aid societies how to run their businesses. We only come in when they are creating problems for our patients but suffice to say they only cover 1.1 million of our population of 13 million. The majority of the people are not on medical aid and the majority of the people are not patronisers of our private hospitals; they go to clinics and will be covered there. They go to council clinics, rural clinics and district hospitals, there they have full access and will not be hindered by any raise of this nature. They are not affected and will still have access to health care. Those that visit the private doctors will have the $35. It is a choice, people are allowed to choose. Those that have the money will go there just like people who have their hair done for $45 and they will not have $35 to pay the doctor. Thank you.
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