Suburban
Diana Nherera Suburban Reporter
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume says the Harare Municipal Medical Aid Society (H.M.M.A.S) needs to be revamped and reformed to cater for council workers.
Councillor Mafume’s comments followed revelations by Ward 41 Councillor Kudzai Kadzombe that City of Harare workers are failing to access treatment yet they are paying their medical aid contributions.
Speaking at last week’s full council meeting, Cllr Kadzombe the municipality’s funeral assurance service is also failing to assist beneficiaries to fund funeral expenses.
She also said council was failing to pay workers their full salaries.
“What I’m hearing is they were just given an advance this week of $4 million.
“I just need to understand the rationalisation of such a decision that all grades are given that amount so that they can buy something for Easter and this is supposed to be someone’s salary.
“And I feel that we really need to be serious about these issues.
“And I’m saying this to the HR (committee) chair that something needs to be done.
“We are talking about more than 9 000 employees.
“Can you imagine the number of families that we are talking about and if we are saying we have given them just $4 million when we know it’s nothing.
“And their children have come back for the school holidays and the Easter holidays, can you even imagine how their Easter holiday is going to be?
“The last full council, there was a commitment that was made that we are going to be up to date with the salaries.
But it’s been a whole month and nothing has changed. People were given $4 million,” said Cllr Kadzombe.
She said money is being deducted for funeral assurance and medical aid but when council workers or their beneficiaries get sick, the medical aid is not covering or when it does they have to pay huge shortfalls.
“Our employees are also failing to get coffins when a family member dies yet money is being deducted from their salaries.
“So it’s a very difficult situation your Worship where our employees are getting their salaries in dribs and drabs.
“And the second thing, they fail to get treatment yet they are on medical aid,” said Cllr Kadzombe.
Harare finance director Mr Godfrey Kusangaya said the city managed to pay 60 or so percent of the payroll.
He said the United States dollar component of the salaries is what is lagging behind.
“We are hoping by Friday (last week), we would have achieved 80 percent,” he said.
Cllr Mafume said it was difficult to expect the City of Harare’s to run a medical aid scheme given its opaque way of operating.
“They (medical aid scheme) bought properties that they can’t find, properties without title deeds. It’s (H.M.M.A.S) a bloated board structure of over 70 board members, some will see it as throwing money into a bottomless pit.
“I raised the issue that the way that the health fund is being handled, it’s top heavy. They bought a clinic in Ruwa, which is basically a 14-roomed house costing over US$800 000.
“Where can you buy something in Ruwa for US$800 000?
“But honestly, it must have been a very big place.
“There are more issues that we have to deal with as far as HMMAS is structured,” he said.
Cllr Mafume said the medical aid scheme needed a thorough examination.
“I think I was going to refer it to HR.
“We will look at remittances to HMMAS.
“We are requesting for a place to build a morgue and a place to build a clinic.
“They bought properties in Norton, Mukuvisi Woodlands and Ruwa and cannot account for the money.
“And lots of money has gone down the drain on baseless expenditure.
“So it’s more than just sending money to that organisation.
“We can send money but it might not even assist in terms of what you’re raising.
“It has to be revamped, reformed so that it adequately caters for the needs of the workers,” he said.
Cllr Mafume said another clinic bought in Glen Norah was not working at full capacity.
“So it’s a cocktail of issues that are bedevelling HMMAS and its inability to account. We need to look at it a bit more closely than just throwing money into the problem.”
