The Medical Aid Society of Central Africa (MASCA) has discontinued direct payments to Pharmacies for its members with Zimbabwean Dollar Schemes.
In a communique to members, MASCA said this move was necessitated by the prevailing economic environment and a need to ensure the sustainability of its services. Said MASCA:
Due to the persistently high volatility of the ZWL exchange rate, we regret to inform you that we will be discontinuing the direct Zimbabwe dollar payments to pharmacies for drug claims effective 15 June 2023 till further notice.
This decision has been made after careful consideration of the current economic circumstances and to ensure the sustainability of our services.
This change affects members on the Zimbabwe dollar schemes (international and local range of ZWL schemes) and members who moved to the United States dollar (USD) schemes who are still on USD waiting periods as applicable.
As a result, you will be required to settle your drug claims in cash at the respective pharmacies.
Thereafter, you can submit your claims to MASCA for processing as refunds payable by the Society in Zimbabwe dollars, based on rates applicable at the time of treatment.
While this development may be disappointing, we want to assure you that we remain committed to providing the best possible support to our members.
As a result, we have taken measures to facilitate the refund process for any pending or future drug claims.
To initiate a refund, we kindly request you to follow the following steps: Supporting documents: Please ensure you have the relevant receipts, prescriptions, and any other supporting documents for the drug expenses incurred. These will need to be attached to the claim form to be submitted to MASCA for processing.
Complete the claim form: Fill in all the required fields on the claim form accurately and provide the necessary details to ensure the smooth processing of your refund.
Alternatively, you can ask the pharmacy dispensing the requested drugs to print a claim form for you, that you can submit with supporting documents described as per point 1 above.
Submit your claim form: Once you have completed the drug claim form, please submit it to our designated email address claimforms@masca.co.zw or drugs@masca.co.zw or visit our offices and drop it off at our claims department.
We understand that the discontinuation of direct payments to pharmacies for drug claims may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely apologise for any difficulties this may cause you.
If you need further information or clarity on how to proceed, please contact our drugs department on any of the following numbers: We will continue to monitor the economic situation closely and explore options that maintain/enhance the acceptability of direct payments by medical service providers.
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