Some medical funds still pay for injections

By: CATHERINE SASMAN

MEDICAL aid funds registered under the Short Term Insurance Act and reporting to the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa) will continue to cover medicines dispensed by providers and standard prescribed immunisations.

The executive director of Investmed Ltd, Hester Spangenberg, yesterday said although the organisation  provides the same cover as all other medical aid funds, it is not registered with the Namibian Association of Medical Aid Funds (Namaf) as a medical aid fund, but is registered as a short-term insurer with Namfisa. 

Investmed Ltd is responsible for the Investmed plans, Futuremed plans, and Blue plan, which provides medical aid cover to employees of Standard Bank. 

Spangenberg was reacting to a directive by the Medical Association of Namibia (MAN) on September 18 that no injections and immunisations will be paid by medical aid funds with immediate effect because these are not considered as emergency medication. 

The Namibia Private Practitioners Forum (NPPF) said it was obtaining each medical aid fund’s policy in this regard, and insisted to have the stance of the medical aid funds in writing as proof when patients suffer health risks, or even death, as a result of the actions of the Namibia Medical Research Council (NMRC) “and their collaborators”. 

Dries Coetzee of NPPF said MAN pointed out that Methealth, Namibia Medical Care (NMC), Bankmed and the Public Service Employees Medical Aid Scheme (Psemas) even refuse to pay for immunisations, urine dipsticks, and glucometer sticks, among other things. 

Dr David Weber of MAN reportedly said that representatives of Namibia Health Plan (NHP) and Renaissance had denied that they were part of this.

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