PSMAS bosses grilled over closure of clinics, pharmacies while people are making contributions

Members from Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS) have appeared before Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public service on why their clinics and pharmacies closed despite the fact that people are making contributions.

Most recently, servants were thrown into crisis after a decision by PSMAS to shut down over 50 of the hospitals built to mainly serve them was announced.

The hospitals, according to details have been shut down as a result of PSMAS subsidiary Premier Service Medical Investments’ (PSMI) never ending financial crisis.

Westend and Shashi are some of those that are no longer functional, with the facilities’ renal and dental units closed down.

Workers from the hospitals, which number 57 downed tools leaving civil servants stranded as most of them cannot afford private hospitals.

The situation has been worsened by the fact that most private hospitals across the country do not accept the medical aid.

At one point, the government offered a bail-out package to PSMAS to the tune of ZWL$ 4, 258, 518.459.18. The bail-out package is intended to resuscitate operations at the society and support PSMI, some of whose medical facilities had closed in recent weeks.

The injection of funds will enable the restoration of operations at the embattled medical insurance group through, among other support, the clearance of salary arrears for PSMI staff.

Also contained in the bail-out package is support towards the clearing of third-party arrears, which had suffocated operations at the medical aid society.

According to the government is a clear demonstration of its commitment to the provision of access to health care for public servants, who make up 90 percent of PSMAS clients.

Zwnews