HON. CHIMANIKIRE: I would also like to thank the Hon. Minister for the timeous statement that he has given to this House. However, talking to some of these doctors, you get worried. I would want the Hon. Minister to clarify what remedial action is going to be taken because some of these doctors have had their houses auctioned by ZIMRA. Is there any means of recovering what they have lost due to penalties coming from ZIMRA over issues of unpaid taxes where they have not actually been paid what is due to them?
Secondly, I just want the Hon. Minister to inform the House whether we have recovered anything from Cuthbert Dube and his board, over issues of overpaid allowances because I have not heard that mentioned anywhere. This is where the whole story started and failure to pay the doctors was because the board was actually feeding its pockets and not feeding the service providers.
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. DR. PARIRENYATWA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank all the Hon Members for their very pertinent questions regarding this issue. The first question came from Hon. Sibanda on where we were when this crisis was brewing? I think the simple answer is that medical aid societies and the doctors have been talking since 1992. I remember when I was a practicing doctor myself, there was the National Tariffs and Liaison Committee which really addressed the issues between doctors and medical aid societies. So, this is not a new issue. It has always been a brewing issue. It needs appropriate legislation. What is happening here is that, in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, it is very difficult to apportion certain people to just look at medical aid societies. What we need is an Authority that oversees, regulates and has a full time job to look at medical aid societies vis-à-vis doctors and other providers. So, this is a brewing problem which has been on and off. We have been negotiating and last year we put a gazetted price. The doctors wanted to be paid $60 while the insurers wanted to pay $21. In the end we gazetted $35 and this is the amount that is still there now. So, it is not that we have been away but we have been negotiating. Unfortunately, once the two parties do not agree, they do not agree and that compels us to come up with a rate that we then gazette, which we have done but still is causing its own problems.
The other issue that was asked was on the Government’s obligation to pay certain medical aid insurance their quantum. Government is supposed to pay to medical aid societies, particularly to Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS), which in turn pays the providers. This has not been easily forthcoming, it has been problematic but continued negotiations between PSMAS and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development are ongoing, considering the economic crisis that is there now.
Hon. Chinotimba wanted to know how long it will take to craft this Bill and make it into law. Let me say that, five weeks ago, the principles of the Bill were accepted and passed in Cabinet. We now have got a draft in place that will be circulated to all stakeholders, including yourselves Hon. Members, to give input and it will then depend on that process. Once that process is done and we want it done quickly. I will try to find out from you, Hon. Members how we can expedite the Bill to become an Act so that it is effected in good time. In the meantime and this has been asked again that in the meantime what are we doing?
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