Dr David Parirenyatwa
Whinsley Masara Chronicle Reporter
MEMBERS of Parliament have moved a motion recommending the prosecution of individuals fingered in bringing the Premier Service Medical Aid Society to its knees.
Bulawayo South MP Eddie Cross proposed the motion that also seeks to have salaries of PSMAS managers made public. In the motion, Cross said MPs were highly disturbed by recent revelations of questionable transactions at PSMAS.
He said they were also alarmed that millions of dollars in subscribers’ funds had been used to pay senior staff massive salaries and other benefits at a time when the society was failing to pay service providers and other creditors on time.
“We’re further worried that the society’s members were unable inter alia to access medical services, get treatment and purchase drugs. What concerns us most is that among those affected were civil servants who already suffer from the inability of the state to pay reasonable salaries and other emoluments,” Cross said.
“Now therefore, this House calls upon the executive to; Immediately set in motion processes for the prosecution of all those who benefited from this scandal; take remedial action to recover the funds that were paid to those individuals who were unjustly enriched; investigate the role of the Board of the Society that was in charge of the affairs of the society at the time of this abuse of funds and if found culpable, that prosecution be extended to former board members.”
He said the executive should also review the society’s remuneration policies to bring them in line with government policy.
PSMAS has debts of about $140 million with some service providers having taken legal action to recover their monies.
The medical insurer is also said to be struggling to provide medicines for its pharmacies throughout the country leading to both service providers and members losing confidence in the society.
PSMAS made headlines last year after a salary scandal which saw its top executives getting obscene salaries and perks at the expense of service delivery. This precipitated the ouster of the society’s CEO Cuthbert Dube.
Last week, a PSMAS subscriber filed a lawsuit at the High Court in Bulawayo citing the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr David Parirenyatwa, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Prisca Mupfumira and nine PSMAS board members as respondents in which he sought to bar them from interfering with the medical aid society’s business.
The two Ministers have been sued for ordering the reinstatement of suspended PSMAS managing director Henry Mandishona, who is facing allegations of corruption and mismanagement.