NMC reassures members they’re not paying for vaccines

Namibia Medical Care (NMC) fund manager Ben Nandago once again reassured the medical aid scheme’s members that there are no costs incurred by them for Covid-19 vaccines.This after Namibian Sun received numerous complaints from members who received notifications that their jabs had been paid for by the fund.One member, who preferred to remain anonymous, received a message that read: “Dear member, claim for Windhoek Central Hospital, N$713.68 has been settled to provider...”The members are not only infuriated by the messages, but by the venues on the claims as well as the dates.“I did not receive my jab at Windhoek Central! In fact, I have never received any medical attention from government hospitals in Windhoek,” the source said.This week, Namibian Sun reported that the local medical aid industry agreed to pay N$713 for each fully vaccinated member, and pay this money towards government’s Covid-19 programme.No costs to membersNandago said while the NMC board of trustees agreed to pay N$713 for each member who is fully vaccinated, the indication on member statements is purely for auditing purposes and data collection.He stressed that no member will pay for the vaccine and the cost thereof will not be deducted from their day-to-day benefit. Their offices have also been receiving the same queries from members for the past weeks, he said.“The messages are automatic because they are system generated. The venues which the clients say they have not received their jabs there is entirely up to the ministry. They have captured this data as well as the dates not being accurate,” he explained.Charity case?Questioned how NMC and other medical aid providers will recover money for bailing out government, Nandago said they are using money from their reserves and because Covid-19 affected everyone, they too have a social responsibility.“Members can call the office for further clarity and those with the NMC mobile app can login and check out their statements which will show that they have not been charged for this. Members can also ask for their remittance statement and compare it with their profile benefits, what they had at the beginning of the year, what they have utilised and how much is remaining,” he said.Health ministry executive director Ben Nangombe this week confirmed that there is a Cabinet approval for medical aid fund contributions to vaccination efforts.For one dose, the contribution is N$356.84, while being fully vaccinated – or two doses – would see a contribution of N$713.68.An additional contribution of N$356.84 is granted for a booster jab.The contribution, Nangombe said, goes into a ministry of finance account to support the procurement of vaccines.– tuyeimo@namibiansun.com

NMC reassures members they’re not paying for vaccines

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Namibian Sun 2022-07-07

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NMC reassures members they’re not paying for vaccines

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Namibian Sun 2022-07-07

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