04/09/2026
NEWS | PSMAS members pay in ZiG, but Parliament says some cannot get the care they paid for
HARARE – For some PSMAS members, the problem begins after the medical aid contribution has already been paid.
Parliament has heard that beneficiaries paying their subscriptions in Zimbabwe's local currency are being denied access to diabetes medicines and diagnostic services, while doctors and specialists are demanding payment in US dollars.
The disclosure has brought into sharp focus a problem at the intersection of Zimbabwe's currency crisis and its health-care system: patients can fulfil their obligation to the medical aid scheme and still struggle to obtain the treatment that membership is supposed to provide.
Proportional Representation MP Basilia Majaya raised the issue in Parliament, asking why the ZiG component of PSMAS was not eligible for diabetes medication and diagnostic services.
“A significant number of people are living with this chronic condition, and that is precisely why they pay medical aid subscriptions,” Majaya said.
She asked how the situation could be resolved to ensure affected beneficiaries receive the treatment and services they require.
The government acknowledged the problem.
Acting Leader of Government Business in Parliament Felix Mhona said the matter would be taken up with Treasury, saying Zimbabwe's multicurrency system should not result in unequal access to health care.
“This is unacceptable,” Mhona said.
“Everyone must receive fair and equitable treatment, regardless of which currency they choose to transact in.”
The issue was then widened by Dangamvura MP Prosper Mutseyami, who told Parliament that the problem was not confined to diabetes treatment.
“We have a situation where the majority of doctors across the country are rejecting our PSMAS medical aid, including most specialist doctors with extensive experience,” Mutseyami said.
He said beneficiaries, particularly civil servants, continued paying their subscriptions while many doctors demanded payment in hard currency, predominantly US dollars.
“Unfortunately, we continue to pay our subscriptions every month, yet many beneficiaries, particularly civil servants who are subscribed to this scheme, are being denied access to services,” he said.
“As long as you are on the PSMAS platform, you are effectively unable to access the services you need.”
For someone managing diabetes, that gap can have a particular significance. Treatment is continuous. Medicines have to be obtained repeatedly, while consultations and diagnostic services help monitor the condition over time.
The parliamentary questions, therefore, exposed something more fundamental than a disagreement over which currency should settle a medical aid claim. They raised the possibility that the ability to access care is being determined after a patient has already paid for coverage.
Mhona said the roots of the problem lay in the period when the local currency was losing value and health-care providers became increasingly reluctant to accept it.
Doctors could treat patients and submit claims, he said, only to receive payment after the currency had depreciated, reducing the value of what they were owed.
“You will appreciate what happens when you visit a doctor using medical aid,” Mhona said. “The doctor submits a claim form, and unfortunately, during the period of currency instability, service providers would eventually receive payment when the currency had already depreciated in value.”
“That is where the problem began.”
His explanation places the dispute in the mechanics of Zimbabwe's health-care economy.
A provider is concerned about the value and timing of reimbursement. A beneficiary is concerned about whether the medical aid card will be accepted when treatment is needed.
The patient stands between those two transactions.
PSMAS, Zimbabwe's largest and oldest medical aid funder, has a particularly significant role among government employees. But the scheme has faced years of financial and operational pressures, including substantial contribution arrears, liquidity constraints, and historical governance concerns. Delayed payments to providers have previously contributed to PSMAS beneficiaries being turned away from private health facilities.
The latest parliamentary debate has added the currency question to those longstanding pressures.
Mhona said the government expects the situation to improve as the ZiG stabilises and measures are implemented to restore PSMAS's previous operating arrangements.
“Now that our currency has stabilised,” he said, “and with measures and policies being implemented to restore the way PSMAS operated previously, we expect PSMAS services to become more credible in the not too distant future.”
He said the interventions were intended to restore confidence among service providers and beneficiaries.
But Parliament has now put a precise problem before government and Treasury: what happens to a beneficiary whose contribution is accepted in ZiG but whose doctor will not accept the medical aid cover that contribution was meant to fund?
The question is especially consequential for chronic conditions, where treatment can not simply be postponed until a payment dispute is resolved.
Section 76 of Zimbabwe's Constitution guarantees citizens and permanent residents the right to basic health care and provides for treatment for long-term illnesses.
The government has acknowledged the ZiG access problem and committed to engaging Treasury.
For the beneficiaries who continue to pay PSMAS subscriptions, the test of those interventions will be straightforward.
When they need a doctor, a diagnostic test, or their next supply of medicine, will the cover they have paid for still work?
Reporting by Anesu Masamvu
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