It is now very expensive to die in Zimbabwe

A NEW wave of price increases has seen hard-pressed Zimbabweans grappling with counting the cost of dying.

Funeral insurance companies have joined the bandwagon by increasing premiums by 100% effective next month.

In a notice to its policy holders, Nyaradzo Funeral Assurance Company said it had no choice, but to increase premiums so as to preserve value.

“In order to preserve the value of funeral policy benefits, kindly note with effect (from) June 1, funeral policy premiums shall be increased by 100%. We shall communicate the same to all policy holders through SMS before May 1,” part of the letter sent out to policy holders reads.

Hard-pressed workers face this new hurdle to giving their loved ones decent burial.

Government, despite warning business against price hikes which President Emmerson Mnangagwa has described as “inhuman, unethical and unpatriotic”, has failed to stem the wave of price hikes.

Meanwhile, the Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) says it has been approached by a number of service providers requesting for more tariff increases, barely three months after they were reviewed.

The increases range between 50% and 400%.

Recently, AHFoZ effected an upward review of 40% and 30% on fees payable by its members to medical professionals and private hospitals units, respectively.

In a statement, the association proposed that an urgent meeting of all concerned stakeholders be convened in order to find a workable solution so that patients continue accessing the required healthcare services.

“Medical aid societies have been receiving numerous complaints from their members and employer organisations over the increases in contributions (since) salaries are not going up,” reads the statement.

newsday