The National Health Insurance Management Authority (NHIMA) has collected about K800 million as contributions from members since inception in October 2019.
NHIMA Director of Finance, David Kongwa said the authority has continued to record an upward trend in collections from K30 million per month in October 2019 to currently over K50 million per month.
Mr Kongwa said NHIMA has invested part of the funds in short-term instruments in the money market such as Treasury bills and fixed deposits to increase liquidity for the Authority.
ZANIS reports that Mr Kongwa was speaking at the signing of the partnership agreement between NHIMA and ZANACO in Lusaka today that will see the Bank incorporated on the NHIMA digital platform to facilitate payments of contributions to the NHIMA.
And NHIMA Board Vice Chairperson, Kingsley Chanda, pointed out that NHIMA has an important role to play in mobilizing resources for the country’s healthcare insurance.
Mr Chanda said digital platforms are vital in mobilizing resources for the health insurance scheme.
He urged NHIMA to develop reliable user friendly innovative digital platforms to facilitate seamless registration of Zambians onto the national insurance scheme and payment of funds into the scheme.
Mr Chanda challenged NHIMA to ramp up its rollout of the insurance scheme to the informal sector to reach out and capture all Zambians.
He urged NHIMA to use ZANACO’s extensive branch network to reach out to uncaptured and serviced Zambians.
ZANACO Managing Director, Munakwandi Chibesakunda expressed optimism that the partnership will help Zambians access financial services to facilitate access to health insurance.
Ms Chibesakunda said the partnership is significant as it will ensure that Zambians have easier access to financial services.
She said her bank is happy to support the initiative as the partnership demonstrates the bank’s resolve to provide alternative solutions that make access to financial services easier in an environment that has restrictions due to the impact of the Covid#19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, NHIMA Director General James Kapesa said the Authority will soon revise the benefit package it is offering in order to meet medical insurance expectations of Zambians.
Mr Kapesa noted that the current benefits may not be meeting the health needs of most Zambians.
He explained that most Zambians are unaware that they need to register as required by law in order to access health services in the country.
And Director of Quality Assurance and Accreditation Mpuma Kamanga dismissed public perceptions that its difficult to access NHIMA health services from public health facilities.
Dr Kamanga explained that people that have registered on the scheme and not accessing the health services are not approaching accredited health centres.
He said NHIMA services can only be accessed from 141 hospitals and health centres across the country.
Dr Kamanga disclosed that NHIMA has since disbursed K40 million of the K60 million to public health facilities to buy drugs for members.
Since inception on October 1 2019, NHOMA has captured 950, 000 members of the targeted 3.4 million people it plans to have in its data base.
And they can’t remove a K60,000 to help someone who is critically ill? Awe sure.
Reuben H Siwila imagine how wicked they’re
was the patient a member of NHIMA?
Look at how much they have collected and how much they have disbursed. Meanwhile people who contributed are still required to foot their medical bills from their pockets.
Rubbish!
“NHIMA has invested part of the funds in short-term instruments in the money market such as Treasury bills and fixed deposits to increase liquidity for the Authority.”
How do you increase LIQUIDITY when you lend money to a broke government (buying treasury bills)? The borrower devalues the currency (print more money) if he cannot pay.
What one would like to know is HOW MANY NHIMA subscribers are there?
This institution is a complete mess. They are busy stealing from the Civil Servants. At the end of the day, we end up buying the medication using our own money.
Money that was going into Dr Chilufya’s pockets as he was buying inflated expired drugs and defective equipment
Excellent development. Our peoples health comes first. The evil upnd diasporans don’t want anything nice in Zambia because it annoys them to realise they ran away but things are getting better here than in diaspora. They are dying like chicken there abroad. Tarino are you shielding yourself locked up like a fat hippo in your uk bedsit
Excellent development. Our peoples health comes first. The evil upnd diasporans don’t want anything nice in Zambia because it annoys them to realise they ran away but things are getting better here than in diaspora. They are dying like chicken there abroad. Tarino are you shielding yourself locked up like in your uk bedsit
Thieves
the article started welll weith NHIMA but due to corupat the second last sentence it has become NHOMA