Psmas, Daily News host webinar on health sector challenges

THE challenges affecting the operations of healthcare funders and healthcare providers will be the subject of discussion in a webinar to be co-hosted by the Daily News on March 31, with a view to coming up with interventions to rescue the sector.

To be held in partnership with Premier Service Medical Aid Society (Psmas), the webinar, which will take place against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic which has disrupted the health sector, will draw speakers from relevant institutions and the government.

Lewis Chikurunhe, the commercial director for the ANZ — publishers of the Daily News and the Daily News on Sunday — said the webinar has been motivated by the desire to remove bottlenecks choking health service delivery.

“Given the challenges being faced by healthcare funders and healthcare providers, which are ultimately inhibiting ordinary Zimbabweans from accessing quality health services, it has become urgent for industry stakeholders to put their heads together to chart the way forward.

“We will be announcing the panellists for the event in due course but I am happy to say we have put together a very knowledgeable and experienced panel. “The panel and keynote speakers are from institutions and bodies that are repositories of knowledge and expertise on the health sector,” said Chikurunhe.

He heaped praise on Psmas for co-hosting the webinar with the Daily News Conferencing — the events unit for ANZ. “Psmas, which has been a key player on the Zimbabwean health scene for close to nine decades, has a proven track record of coming up with innovative products and services for the benefit of its members.

“We are therefore delighted that such an experienced and innovative player has come on board to fund the costs of hosting the event,” he said.

Among other issues, the forthcoming webinar is expected to discuss the relationship between healthcare funders and healthcare providers, impact of Covid-19 on the sector as well as the strengthening the country’s capacity to prevent and respond to health emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Psmas’ history dates back to the 1930s when it started operations with a special committee under the Public Service Association banner. By Dakarai Mashava, FEATURES & MAGAZINES EDITOR