WASHINGTON —
Health Minister David Parirenyatwa has broken his silence on the confusion at the Premier Service Medical Aid Society saying the government will not allow medical aid provider to collapse. He said Harare will demand accountability and changes at PSMAS if necessary.
PSMAS is jointly managed by the ministries of health, public service as well as finance.
PSMAS Chief Executive Officer Cuthbert Dube was reportedly earning $230,000 monthly plus allowances while the medical aid society struggled to pay service providers resulting in members, mostly civil servants, being forced to pay cash up-front for healthcare.
Dube was forced to retired following the revelations that about 15 top managers at the medical aid provider were earning close to a million dollars monthly at the expense of service delivery and lowly-paid employees.
The former CEO, also boss of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) maintains through his lawyers Venturas and Samkange that he’s still at the helm of PSMAS.
New acting board chairman Luxon Zembe confirms Dube has been retired.
Zembe replaced former board chairperson Meisie Makeletso Namasasu who was dismissed following revelations of the hefty pay packages she’s alleged to have approved with Dube at the expense of the organization.
Deputy Health Minister Paul Chimedza had earlier in the week directed PSMAS to call an extra ordinary general meeting Friday to dissolve the board, appoint an acting manager as well as pave way for the issuance of an operating licence for 2014 for the medical aid provider. But the decision was reversed by Parirenyatwa just 24 hours later.
Efforts to get a comment from Dube and Zembe were futile as they were not answering their phones.
But Parirenyatwa told VOA that the government is still reviewing the situation.
"We will not allow PSMAS to collapse," said Parirenyatwa. "We are currently reviewing the situation to see what exactly needs to be done without shortchanging members"
PSMAS is jointly managed by the ministries of health, public service as well as finance.
PSMAS Chief Executive Officer Cuthbert Dube was reportedly earning $230,000 monthly plus allowances while the medical aid society struggled to pay service providers resulting in members, mostly civil servants, being forced to pay cash up-front for healthcare.
Dube was forced to retired following the revelations that about 15 top managers at the medical aid provider were earning close to a million dollars monthly at the expense of service delivery and lowly-paid employees.
The former CEO, also boss of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) maintains through his lawyers Venturas and Samkange that he’s still at the helm of PSMAS.
New acting board chairman Luxon Zembe confirms Dube has been retired.
Zembe replaced former board chairperson Meisie Makeletso Namasasu who was dismissed following revelations of the hefty pay packages she’s alleged to have approved with Dube at the expense of the organization.
Deputy Health Minister Paul Chimedza had earlier in the week directed PSMAS to call an extra ordinary general meeting Friday to dissolve the board, appoint an acting manager as well as pave way for the issuance of an operating licence for 2014 for the medical aid provider. But the decision was reversed by Parirenyatwa just 24 hours later.
Efforts to get a comment from Dube and Zembe were futile as they were not answering their phones.
But Parirenyatwa told VOA that the government is still reviewing the situation.
"We will not allow PSMAS to collapse," said Parirenyatwa. "We are currently reviewing the situation to see what exactly needs to be done without shortchanging members"