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Medical service providers cash in on cash crisis

News
SOME unscrupulous medical practitioners have been accused of abusing the point-of-sale (POS) facility by demanding that patients who go for the option pay an extra fee for “bank” costs when the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has revised charges of electronic transactions to promote the use of plastic money owing to the current cash crisis.

SOME unscrupulous medical practitioners have been accused of abusing the point-of-sale (POS) facility by demanding that patients who go for the option pay an extra fee for “bank” costs when the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has revised charges of electronic transactions to promote the use of plastic money owing to the current cash crisis.

BY PHYLLIS MBANJE

NewsDay Weekender understands that some specialist doctors were now imposing extra charges from $3 upwards as “bank” fees.

POS transactions of up to $10 will now attract a charge of only $0,10 while those above that threshold will attract a fee of $0,45. POS issuer charges have also been removed.

The use of plastic money was one of government’s solutions to address the current cash shortages in the country by decongesting the banking halls.

RBZ governor John Mangudya recently said payments through the electronic transaction system had shot to $5,5 billion this month from $4,1 billion in January. But these latest events are bound to reverse the expected relief.

In a snap survey around medical facilities in Harare’s Avenues area, a few were indeed charging this extra fee while some said patients would only be charged for services rendered.

Diagnostic Radiology Centre is one of the facilities imposing extra charges. An official at the reception confirmed that the POS facility attracted extra charges. She said: “We will charge $3 for bank charges.”

Many, however, are still to install the POS facility.

“We were told that there has been a flurry of applications for the services which will ease cash challenges,” an administrator at one of the specialist consulting rooms at the Medical Centre in the Avenues said.

The craze to install POS services in most private medical facilities, besides the cash shortages, followed the tiffs between medical aid providers and doctors.

The doctors were threatening to stop taking medical aid, citing non-payment by the medical insurers.

The stand-off led to many healthcare providers opting to install the POS facility.

Zimbabwe Medical Association secretary-general Shingai Bopoto, however, said he not aware of the issue when asked on the sidelines of a medicines advertising workshop recently.

“We have not received any reports, but isn’t it that the bank of the respective patient levies those charges?” he asked.

Health delivery services in Zimbabwe remain among the most costly in the region and many people do not have medical insurance with only 10% covered.

Most public hospitals are operating below capacity. There continues to be drug stockouts in most major referral hospitals while on the ground disgruntled staff is failing to cope with the overwhelming number of patients.

This has forced many patients to seek help from private health services, which are more expensive and out of reach for many people.

“The health professionals should not deviate from the fundamental principles which guide them.

They are capitalising on the challenges that the country has,” Citizens Health Watch trustee Fungisai Dube said.

She said the Constitution was clear on the right to health services and that those charging extra were disadvantaging the patients.

“This right will remain a mirage if health professionals continue on this path,” she said.

Director of Curative Services in the Ministry of Health Sydney Makarau said he would need more information on the alleged practice.

“I have no knowledge that this is happening,” he said. “I need more information on the matter before we can institute any investigations.”

Affirmative Action Group president Chamu Chiwanza said people should not take advantage of the current cash crisis. He said those inflating prices to patients were actually “enemies of the State”.

“It calls for immediate intervention from government particularly the Health minister. Plastic money is used globally and it is an accepted trend worldwide. There is nothing unusual about that,” he said.

“The medical fraternity is key in the development of a country and if people act in such a manner (inflating prices), then they are trying to frustrate the nation through such fraudulent activities. That is why I say they are enemies of the State.”