The Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) has urged the government to introduce compulsory medical aid for all citizens.
While making an oral presentation before Parliament on June 4, AHFoZ chairperson Stanford Sisiya said that the government should enact legislation which compels people to be members of medical aid societies.
He also called for the re-introduction of the Zimbabwe dollar saying that the USD/RTGS$ is bankrupting the pharmaceutical sector. He said:
Right now the challenge we face is that our members are not being paid in US dollars and their salaries are not tracking the US Dollar.
It’s quite unfortunate that we have got a situation where it seems everyone is talking about the rate.
So in terms of the functional currency, as AHFoZ we believe we should have one. Medical Aid Societies continue to do business in RTGS$ as their members are not earning US dollars.
This has caused a huge mismatch between what funders are paying out and what the service providers are charging. The result of which is a dilemma to the patient.
No one should be forced to have medical insurance. People should have choices in a free country whether to contribute to medical insurances or not. The thieves are at it again to line their pockets. Ordinary citizens should resist the move to force everyone to be a member of a medical insurance against their free will. Down with mandatory medical insurance for all citizens.
AHFoZ has got it wrong, the introduction of Zimbabwe currency is not going to make medicines available in Zimbabwe. Another new Zimbabwe dollar is just the same as the current Zimbabwe bond dollar with a different name.what will make the new currency more valuable than the bond dollar I wonder? As long as black market money changers are allowed to speculate on foreign exchange rates; nothing will change. The new currency will be rated fast against the USdollar and the situation will remain the same.