HARARE — Health and Child Care Minister Douglas Mombeshora has called on doctors and medical aid societies to resolve long-running disputes over tariffs, co-payments and delayed settlements, saying patients are being forced to bear the consequences of disagreements between healthcare providers and funders.
Speaking at the Cimas Healthathon 3.0 grand finale in Harare on Friday, Mombeshora said strained relations between medical aid societies and healthcare providers were contributing to fragmentation in Zimbabwe’s health system.
“For too long, that relationship has been strained by disputes over tariffs, co-payments and delayed settlements,” Mombeshora said.
“When providers and funders are at odds, it is not they who suffer most; it is the patient, caught in the middle and asked to pay the difference. This must change.”
Disputes between healthcare providers and medical aid societies can leave insured patients facing shortfalls when doctors’ consultation fees exceed amounts reimbursed by their medical aid schemes.
Mombeshora said doctors and medical aid societies should regard themselves as partners rather than opposing sides.
“Doctors and medical aids are not adversaries. You are partners serving the very same patient,” he said.
“I therefore call on both to return to the table, to rebuild trust, to agree fair and sustainable tariffs, to settle promptly and transparently, and to put the patient, not the dispute, at the centre.”
The minister said greater cooperation was also needed among the government, private healthcare providers, academia and development partners, warning that institutions too often planned and operated separately.
“Let us harmonise our efforts, align our systems and coordinate our investments so that we avoid duplication and close the gaps between us,” Mombeshora said. “A fragmented health system serves no one. A coordinated one serves everyone.”
Mombeshora also called for greater private-sector investment in healthcare, saying the government could not address the country’s health needs alone.
“Government sets policy, provides public health leadership and regulates the sector. But Government cannot, and should not, work alone,” he said.
“We need the private sector to invest, to build, and to participate more boldly, bringing capital, expertise, infrastructure and the ability to test and scale solutions.”
Mombeshora said the government was also working toward establishing a National Health Insurance scheme aimed at protecting Zimbabweans from the financial burden of accessing healthcare.
“Our vision is a health system in which every citizen is protected against the financial hardship of illness, and in which access to quality care does not depend on the size of one’s pocket,” he said.
“The NHI is central to our journey towards Universal Health Coverage. But a reform of this magnitude cannot be designed in isolation.”
He invited medical aid societies, healthcare providers, actuaries, technology companies, academics and other stakeholders to participate in shaping the proposed scheme.
Mombeshora said organisations such as Cimas, which has experience in health financing, could provide expertise as the government develops the model.
“I encourage you to engage the Ministry, bring your evidence, and help us build a scheme that is inclusive, sustainable and fit for the Zimbabwe we want,” he said.
The minister said closer cooperation between government and the private sector would be necessary to expand access to healthcare, particularly for rural and underserved communities.
“Too many Zimbabweans, particularly in rural and underserved communities, still travel too far and pay too much to reach quality care,” Mombeshora said.
