Medical aid members may soon be denied access to critical drugs unless the issue of payments to pharmacies is resolved. Pharmacists are complaining about the delays in payment as well as the unsustainable prices being set up by medical aid societies.
Retail Pharmacists Association of Zimbabwe (RPA), Barbara Muwanigwa, spoke to the Financial Gazette and said:
We have been accepting (customers) on medical aid up to now, but I do not know for how long because the problem with medical aid societies is that they cap prices. But when our money comes, we will not be able to restock because it comes through bank transfers.
If it persists, we will not accept medical aid cards
Muwanigwa also warned that drug shortages were going to get more acute:
We are slowly seeing a gap between demand and supply, but it’s not too apparent. Drugs for chronic diseases are not available on the market. We are going to see more shortages of drugs as we move forward.
However, Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe, chief executive officer, Shylet Sanyanga said the RPA was still to approach her organisation to discus the challenges that were affecting the health industry.
More: Financial Gazette