Haufiku calls for PSEMAS to be replaced

By: Envaalde Matheus

Former health minister, Dr. Bernard Haufiku, says the government should “progressively” do away with the Public Service Employees Medical Aid Scheme (PSEMAS) and introduce a National Health Fund (NHF) to provide healthcare coverage to Namibians.

PSEMAS provides medical cover to government employees and eligible beneficiaries.

Haufiku says PSEMAS is failing its members and needs fundamental restructuring.

He made the remarks in the “Swapo Solidarity Freedom” WhatsApp group on Thursday.

Haufiku says PSEMAS will continue to haunt its members unless the scheme undergoes fundamental restructuring, including the establishment of a properly constituted board of governance.

“My own view, which I have shared with some of the political principles, is that we must progressively do away with PSEMAS and progressively replace it with a National Health Fund.”

Haufiku proposes that the reform be introduced in phases, starting with pregnant women and children under five, followed by people living with disabilities, war veterans and Namibians aged 60 and above.

He said that during his tenure as minister, he had tried and failed on three occasions to pay a courtesy call to the Office of the Prime Minister, with PSEMAS among the issues he wanted to discuss.

“Regrettably, on all three occasions, my requests for meeting the Right Hon. Prime Minister have been cancelled,” he said.

“PSEMAS is a N$ 4 Billion scheme which does not have a board of governance. One can already imagine what kind of an animal one is dealing with here,” he said.

He said the government announced earlier this year that PSEMAS members would no longer pay co-payments at private doctors and hospitals.

“This announcement was, unfortunately, made without any broader consultation with all stakeholders and without any consideration of the fact that, for the last 12 years PSEMAS has never adjusted their rate they pay to doctors, especially the primary healthcare providers such as general practitioners,” he said.

He said the annual licensing fee for doctors increased from N$ 2000 to N$4 500, which he described as a shock.

Haufiku said a ministry official told him the increase followed regional benchmarking, saying that official jokingly said “because you doctors have a lot of money.”

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