Civil servants reject Govt's National Health Insurance Scheme

Civil servants, through the Apex Council, rejected Government’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) saying Government does not have financial muscle to fulfill the scheme’s obligations since it is struggling to meet its current obligations to its employees.

Appearing before the Parliamentary committee on Public Service Labour and Social Welfare, Apex Council executive comprising the chairperson Mrs Cecilia Alexander, her deputy Mr Ladislous Zunde, information and publicity secretary Mr George Mushipe, called on Government to shelve the scheme and resume it when conditions are favourable. Said Alexander:

The timing for the introduction of this scheme could never be more offside. Civil servants in Zimbabwe have not had a salary increment in years now, this in spite of the salaries being below the poverty datum line. Regardless of this fact, in the past year, Government has unilaterally deducted an average $40 per month from every worker towards pension and more recently NSSA has had to regularise contributions by increasing Government workers contributions by 0,5 percent. It should be brought to the attention of Government that the milking cow has no milk anymore. Civil servants are now overtaxed, underpaid and overworked.

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