Harare - First Mutual Health Care says it is engaging Finance minister Mthuli Ncube for the allocation of foreign currency to healthcare service providers for drugs and consumables.
First Mutual Health revealed this in its communication to its clients at a time the sector is suffering from procuring drugs and equipment with the Government less prioritising the sector for the recent past.
"You may be aware that over the past few days, some service providers have been demanding a co-payment in hard currency before rendering service. This has particularly been prevalent in some pharmacies and specialist physicians," reads the communication.
"We wish to advise that as First Mutual Health we are actively pursuing initiatives to ensure that our members continue to receive service from health providers. Negotiations are in progress with various providers and members will be updated as arrangements are put in place."
The organisation said further to the above, the Association of Healthcare Funders (AHFoZ) is engaging the Ministry of Finance regarding allocation of foreign currency to healthcare service providers for drugs and consumables.
"We expect that this will assist in stabilizing the situation in the short to medium term. In the interim members are encouraged to make use of their family practitioners for primary healthcare services. Members in Harare may also access services at the First Mutual Clinic. We also advise that most hospitals and 24 hour emergency centres are still accepting our cards without hassles," reads the communication.”
Earlier this month, major pharmaceutical wholesalers in the country suspended operations indefinitely after running out of stocks owing to a crippling foreign currency shortage, triggering a massive scarcity of life-saving drugs that is putting millions of lives at risk, the Zimbabwe Independent has established.
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mangudya admitted that due to the huge backlog of foreign currency allocations, the central bank has not been making timely allocations to priority areas, including the health sector.
The foreign currency shortages have crippled importation of essential drugs and raw materials, which account for between 70-90% of the country’s needs.
The suspension of operations by the suppliers of most of the country’s critical medications has turned the nation’s chronic drug shortage into a full-blown health crisis, threatening the lives of millions of Zimbabweans.
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