State care beckons for PSEMAS members

A countrywide survey of private medical practitioners has revealed that more than 20% are adamant they will not sign the new contract with the Public Service Employees Medical Aid Scheme (PSEMAS). The new contract came into force on Sunday.PSEMAS has 293 250 members of which 124 000 are main members and the remainder, dependents. Roughly 13.1% of Namibians rely on PSEMAS for medical aid.The survey was performed by the Namibia Private Practitioners' Forum (NPPF), in collaboration with the Namibia Dental Association (NDA) and the Medical Association of Namibia (MAN). A total of 308 respondents took part, and of these, 87% said that the benchmark tariffs of the Namibian Association for Medical Aid Funds (Namaf), already in force for five years, are inadequate to keep a practice running.In a statement released by the NPPF, it was said that around 10% of private medical service providers that took part in this survey did not renew their PSEMAS contracts for the past three years already. This figure has risen to 17% and now, 21% who said they will not renew with PSEMAS on 1 April.By next year, the figure will stand at around 25%.Of those practitioners who do have contracts with PSEMAS, 29% said they have cut down on treating PSEMAS members over the past three years. Reasons given include the unsustainable benchmark tariffs and the government's inability to pay out claims by service providers last year. This, they said, placed a high level of financial pressure on their practices.The NPPF said the increasing requirements for registration and claiming procedures, along with the supply of tax certificates and annual renewals, should see a further decline in private practitioners willing to service PSEMAS patients. The picture looks bleak, said the NPPF, when one considers the inefficiency of government agencies and with the current decline in private practitioners willing to service PSEMAS members, it appears as though these patients will soon have to turn to state medical facilities for care and treatment.Private practitioners, in a bid to register with PSEMAS, now have to supply documentation to the health ministry, the Health Professions Councils (HPCNA), Namaf, the Namibian Medicines Regulatory Council (NMRC), the Receiver of Revenue and the Social Security Commission.Roughly 80% of the survey's respondents said the process is tedious.With regard to the receipt of the needed documents, 38% of the respondents said the NMRC is “highly inefficient”. The health ministry is hot on its heels, with 33% of the respondents complaining it was highly inefficient, while 29% complained of Namaf and the receiver, and 22% of the SSC.The HPCNA is regarded as the most inefficient by the majority of the respondents. PSEMAS has 293 250 members of which 124 000 are main members and the remainder, dependents. Roughly 13.1% of Namibians rely on PSEMAS for medical aid.

State care beckons for PSEMAS members

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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State care beckons for PSEMAS members

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Namibian Sun 2025-06-18

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