Government has ordered doctors to follow stipulated procedures when hiking medical tariffs, describing any other practice outside the expected processes as unfair.

This followed a unilateral increase of medical fees by physicians on Tuesday, which saw new rates of consulting the specialists pegged between $900 and $3 750.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said by unilaterally increasing the costs, the doctors were violating provisions of the medical services regulations.

“The ministry is greatly concerned with the unilateral increase of tariffs by the Physicians’ Association of Zimbabwe following the announcement of the SI 142 of 2019,” said the ministry.

“This amounts to unfair practice by providers to members in terms of the Medical Services (Medical Aid Societies) (Amendment) ReguIations, 2004.”

The ministry said, according to the regulations, service providers, physicians included, should agree on a common tariff with health funders, which are medical aid societies.

It said if the two parties fail to agree on a common tariff, Government will gazette a tariff that both parties must abide by.

“According to these regulations, it is deemed unfair practice when a health care provider demands from any person any payment by way of consultation fee or deposit or other similar payment howsoever described in excess of:-

“The amount agreed between the association recognised by the minister as representing the interest of medical aid societies, AHFoZ in this case, and the body recognised as representing interests of provides, ZIMA or its affiliate in this case or:
“The amount specified by the minister in the gazette, in the absence of the agreement between the funders and the providers association,” further reads the statement.State media