HARARE – The government has reportedly blown Z$5 billion trying to bail out the Premier Service Medical Aid Society (PSMAS), its three representatives on the board have revealed.
The government representatives at PSMAS are Martin Rushwaya, who is deputy chief secretary in the office of the President and Cabinet, Pfungwa Kunaka from treasury and Tsitsi Choruma of the Public Service Commission.
Contrary to claims by its workers that government is focused on trying to collapse and create justification for the troubled health insurer’s take over, the three representatives maintain that government’s only interest was to make the membership card acceptable by service providers.
“Some members of the PSMAS board appear to have become conflicted as they have launched a puzzling activism that claims government, which extends significant funding to its employees to support their access to healthcare through the PSMAS card, and which has injected a $5.2 billion into PSMAS since January 2022, intends to take over PSMAS,” said Kunaka.
The three distanced themselves from the faction allegedly led by the PSMAS chairman whom they accuse of unilaterally agreeing to postpone the June 30th AGM.
“The board chairman was under obligation to consult the board before he could respond. The possibility that such unilateral action is the norm in the PSMAS board raises grave governance questions that cannot go unaddressed,” said Kunaka.
Civil servants who are up to date with subscriptions are up in arms with the health insurer after their medical aid cards have continuously been rejected by service providers.
The management have also been accused of spending on non-core areas such as mining.
