SHAMENDA OPPOSES ALIGNMENT OF NHIMA TO HEALTH

By Arnel Chitundu

FORMER Minister of Labor and Social Security Minister, Fackson Shamenda has said the National Health Insurance Management Authority (NHIMA) should be handled by the Ministry of Labour, as the ministry looks after the social security of the people.

Speaking to The Scoop in an interview, Mr. Shamenda said having NHIMA under the Ministry of Health would not work as the ministry was too big and busy.

He added that having NHIMA under the Ministry of health meant taking another financial burden there.

“We had an agreement back in my tenure as minister, with the then Minister of health, late Dr. Joseph Kasonde that NHIMA should never go anywhere near the Ministry of health, as it is too big, with serious accounting problems,” Mr. Shamenda said.

He said it was unfortunate that the ones who came after them took NHIMA to the Ministry of Health, the ministry he said lacked capacity to manage NHIMA effectively and that the alignment of NHIMA to the Ministry of Health meant giving the ministry more resources to misapply.

He explained that NHIMA collaborating with the National Pensions Scheme Authority (NAPSA) would be ideal as the two institutions had the necessary experience and were currently doing well.

“My heart bleeds seeing what is happening at the Ministry of Health with NHIMA. There are cases of insufficient medicines and poor health services and I hope the Government will reconsider,” he said.

He said using the same experience at NAPSA; the Government could run NHIMA in a professional manner to benefit the citizens. 

He emphasized that with NHIMA under the Ministry of Health, nothing would work.