Jail PSMAS ‘looting’ health minister, MDC-T

via Jail PSMAS ‘looting’ health minister, MDC-T – NewZimbabwe 17/11/2015

OPPOSITION legislator, Eddie Cross, on Tuesday challenged President Robert Mugabe to sack ministers and permanent secretaries accused of looting the struggling state-run Premier Medical Aid Society (PSMAS).

The MDC-T parliamentarian told Parliament that close to $119 million in PSMAS cash was used to pay senior staff massive salaries and other benefits with the connivance of ministers and the permanent secretaries.

Health minister, David Parirenyatwa, along with Labour counterpart, Prisca Mupfumira – who oversee the institution – were accused of allowing corruption at PSMAS which has brought the insurer close to collapse.

Parirenyatwa, a medical doctor, has also been at the centre of controversy after he was paid $100,000 for treating PSMAS members when he was owed just $23,000.

“We have David Parirenyatwa minister of health and Prisca Mupfumira, minister of Labour and Public Service, who are responsible for running the affairs of PSMAS,” Cross said.

“We have reports that Parirenyatwa who is a doctor was given $100 000 by PSMAS under unclear circumstances.”

He added: “We want him (health minister) to come to Parliament together with Mupfumira to explain what was happening to PSMAS.

“George Charamba, who is the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Media and Information and Presidential spokesperson benefited huge amounts of money he received as a board member of PSMAS.

“This also applies to Constance Chigwamba, Permanent Secretary of Primary and Secondary Education, who received over $ 100 000 each. We want them to resign as it tantamount to corruption on what they have done.”

The MDC-T official added that government should immediately start the  prosecution  of all  those  who benefited  from the PSMAS  scandal and  take action  to recover  funds paid to individuals who were “unjustly enriched”.

“We have to  investigate  the role of the board that  was  in charge  of PSMAS at  the  time  of  this  abuse,” said Cross.

“Prosecution  should also be extended  to  former Board mmbers, cinluding Cuthbert  Dube,  who is  the  former Chief  Executive  of PSMAS.”

Cross said the top government officials received the money at a time when PSMAS with a membership of over 200,000 who are mostly civil servants was failing to pay service providers and other creditors on time.

He said those affected by the insurer’s financial problems were civil servants who were unable to access medical services.