Roselyne Sachiti Deputy Features Editor
THE white robes worn by a group of members of an apostolic faith sect, the melodies from the various voice ranges and the bald shiny heads made their presence known in a bushy area in Chitungwiza. A middle-aged woman, Mary, helplessly lies in

a wheelbarrow as her husband Tendai pushes it towards them.
She is diabetic and also has fibroids, which sometimes causes heavy bleeding during her monthly periods. Both Mary and Tendai are not formally employed and earn a living through vending.

The money they get is not enough to meet Mary’s medical bills and neither is it adequate to pay for the myomectomy (operation to have fibroids removed).

She has been on the waiting list for as long as she can remember at a public hospital and seeking the services of a private doctor is expensive.

They have pinned their hopes on the faith healers and say her condition stabilises each time she goes there.
Mary and her husband are just some of the millions of Zimbabweans who do not have medical aid and are not covered by any form of health insurance.

They say they once considered taking health insurance but realised that they could not afford it. The little money they get goes to food, rent, clothes and school fees.
“The money was too much for us and we had many other immediate challenges that needed attention. Health insurance would be the last thing on our list of priorities now since what is required is out of this world. We have put our faith in God and he will manage the situation. The diabetes will go and so will be cured of fibroids,” said Tendai.

Despite her health hanging by a thread and in intensive care, Mary still insists that she wants the operation but has no money and there is nothing she can do about it.

Abraham Gutu (37), a self-employed carpenter from Glen View, said he tried to apply for medical aid once, but the costs would chew into his monthly earnings.
He says he makes up to US$400 in a good month. Gutu pays US$150 for the two rooms he rents, an average of US$35 for electricity and US$20 for water. He uses about US$15 for transport as he sometimes walks to work. He has a wife and three children, none of whom are on medical aid.

“I went to one medical aid society and they told me they needed a total of US$261 per month for subscriptions. I could not afford the money and I fork out cash each time any of my children is sick. Medical aid societies should take into consideration that most Zimbabweans are unemployed and it is expensive to access packages as an individual. Those who join under their companies are better,”  he said.

He said because of deterrent subscription fees, he has also been finding it affordable to seek medical help from traditional healers who have modernised their surgeries.

“Visiting Government hospitals, which are cheaper, is sometimes a hassle as the service leaves a lot to be desired. The private hospitals are no-go areas for some of us who pay cash,” he added.

The Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey 2010-11, which was published a fortnight ago, confirms that 93 percent of Zimbabwean women and 91 percent of men do not have health insurance.

It said the few women who have health insurance are covered by social security or other employer plans.
Six percent of women, according to the report, have insurance through their employer, less than 1 percent are covered under a privately purchased commercial plan, and the remaining women are covered through some other mechanism.

As expected, women who live in urban areas and those in the highest wealth quintile are most likely to have health insurance.
“Education is strongly associated with health insurance coverage. Nearly half of the women with more than a secondary education have health insurance, compared with 2 percent of women with no education. One percent with only a primary education and 7 percent with only secondary education,” said the report.

This is despite the arguable fact that women                               need health insurance more than men especially when it comes to maternal visits, blood pressure monitoring,                etc.
As was the case with women, men are most commonly covered by social security and other employer-based plans; 7 percent of men are covered through their employer, 2 percent under a privately purchased commercial plan, and less than 1 percent through some other mechanism.

“Again higher education greatly increases the chance of a man to have health insurance coverage. Forty-two percent of men with more than a secondary education have health insurance, compared with 3 percent of men with no education, 1 percent with only a primary education, and 8 percent with only a secondary education,”  added the report.

Of the women staying in urban areas, 1,3 percent have social security, 9,8 percent employer-based insurance, 0,9 percent mutual organisation community based insurance, 1,8 privately purchased commercial insurance while 88,5 percent are not covered by any form of insurance. Women living in rural areas are less insured with 0,7 covered by social security, 1,7 by other employer- based insurance, 0,2 percent by mutual health organisation, 0,4 percent privately purchased  and 97 percent with no coverage.

Men living in urban areas are more insured (1,3 percent) covered by social security, 10,1 percent by other employer based insurance, 1,5 percent by mutual health organisation or community based insurance, 4,0 are covered by a privately purchased insurance  while 83,3 percent are not covered by any medical aid.
Of those staying in rural areas, 0,3 percent are covered by social security, 3,2 percent by other employer-based insurance, another 0,3 percent by community-based insurance, 0,8 percent  under privately purchased commercial insurance  while 95,5 percent are not covered under any medical aid scheme.

With such shocking statistics, The Herald made several inquiries with some medical aid societies to find out what really deters people from seeking health insurance.
At one medical aid society, if one wishes to take health insurance as an individual he or she should pay US$69 per adult and US$41 per child under their private hospital package. So a family of six with two adults and four children will pay US$302 per month.

This facility will only be accessed three months after a person joins and covers the general practitioner and prescribed drugs. If one is new to the scheme and wants to access specialists, they have to wait for six months. The waiting period for optical care is one year, maternity is nine months and chronic  illnesses like cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes among others is two years.

The basic care facility is only open when applying as a company and costs less with monthly individual subscriptions of US$9 per month.
“We do not open this to individuals as there is a 50/50 percent chance that one may get sick. There are fewer chances of people who apply as a company getting sick at once, hence we offer them a cheaper package,” said a woman on the other side of the phone.

This indeed is a thorn in the flesh and could be the reason why many people who are unemployed and self- employed do not have health insurance.
Another medical aid society contacted said their superior cover is US$59 per adult each month and US$41 per child. The waiting period once one joins is three months and this is when general practitioner visits are paid for by the medical aid.

One has to wait for six months before visiting a specialist and nine months for maternity visits.
Those with chronic conditions still in an early stage have to wait for 12 months and 24 months if in an advanced stage.
The cheaper package is the US$39 per month payment for each adult and US$28 for children.

“But you can only access Government, mission and council hospitals if you have this one.
“It will not pay for private hospital visits,” said the salesperson.

• roselyne.sachiti@zimpapers.co.zw