By Wezzie Gausi
President Lazarus Chakwera yesterday launched the Civil Servants Medical Scheme with a call to the Parliamentary Committee on Health to make it mandatory for all employees.
In 2021, the government introduced the medical scheme through Medical Aid Society of Malawi (Masm).
In his address, Chakwera said the key to improving public service delivery lies in the reconstruction of the civil service.
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“Through this scheme, we have created a sense that the well-being of our civil servants matters, not just their work. Through this scheme, we have ensured that there is equity in access to healthcare in the public sector, not favouritism.
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“Through this scheme, we are investing public resources in something that yields long-term dividends in productivity, not wasting them on consumption. This is also why we are investing resources in the completion of the Capital Hill Clinic because we cannot begin to speak of a better civil service when we have no mechanism of making civil servants better when they are indisposed,” Chakwera said.
In an interview, Parliamentary Committee on Health Chairperson Matthews Ngwale said the scheme has been long overdue.
“We, as a committee, have been advocating for this for so long.
“All in all, we are happy that, today, it has been launched,” Ngwale said.
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Masm Chief Executive Officer Ulemu Katunga said civil servants should expect quality services from the scheme.
“The scheme provides a range of services that include funeral services. We believe this partnership will go a long way and benefit more people,” Katunga said.
Katunga said joining the civil servants’ medical scheme enables individuals to access healthcare services they may not be able to afford on their own.
The scheme allows civil servants to pay only 10 percent, with the government covering 90 percent of the premium.
In 2021, the High Court stopped the government from rolling the scheme after a health insurance firm challenged the awarding of the contract to Masm, branding it illegal and unconstitutional.
