Zimbabwe government has shocked the entire nation after its cabinet approved use of livestock as payment for medical cover.
This is a National Health Insurance Scheme which will target the informally employed in the agriculture sector and those in the rural areas. They can even trade in their goats or chickens to cover for their health needs in a particular year.
Addressing a Ministerial workshop in Harare on Monday, Zimbabwe’s Minister for Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare, Ms. Priscah Mupfumira defended the proposed health insurance scheme saying that it will be of much benefit to the rural communities.
She said it was a sure way to extend health service to the rural communities who wholly rely on farming activities.
“As Government, it is our responsibility to ensure that the vulnerable, the less privileged and those not formally employed have access to medical services,” said the Minister.
The scheme will also be extended to those who are unemployed in the effort to ensure that everyone in the country gets access to health services.
Others who have been targeted under the scheme are the mining communities.
She said they will consult all stakeholders as the ministry drafts the Bill for presentation before Parliament before the end of the year.
“We will be consulting our social partners, labor and business to ensure that at the end of the day we have a product that will include more of our people”. she noted.
Also under the new legislation introduced in parliament on Monday, borrowers would be allowed to register “movable” assets as security at a central bank registrar. The bill would require commercial banks to accept them as collateral for credit.
According to the Finance Minister Mr. Patrick Chinamasa, motor vehicle, livestock, machinery or accounts receivable are among the items one would need to qualify for credit in the new law.