Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Chingati Msiska
The Federation of Free Trade Unions of Zambia (FFTUZ) has supported the introduction of the National Health Insurance Bill saying it will improve funding to the health sector and increase coverage to majority workers who currently cannot quality health care because of high premiums demanded by health service providers.
Union President Chingati Msiska says the bill should not be withdrawn from parliament bit instead, take account the concerns which were raised by workers during the brief consultative process at the Tripartite Consultative Labour Council meeting in 2017 that National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) should manage and administer the health fund on behalf of the Ministry of health.
Mr. Msiska has noted that the cost of health care in this country is very high and many Zambians are failing to access decent health services due to these high costs.
He is of the view that the proposed national health insurance scheme will enable citizens to have access to quality health care in the country.
Mr. Msiska has explained that under the current system, patients, even those who may have been brought into the hospital on emergency cases, are required to pay money at every point of service delivery.
And Mr. Msiska has However, observed the need to also insure that the cost of managing and sustaining this scheme are not transferred onto the workers, who are already over taxed.