By Kefiloe Kajane
Insurance company Metropolitan Lesotho yesterday launched a Health4Me Medical Aid Scheme which is targeted at reducing absenteeism at work, thereby improving productivity.
According to Metropolitan’s general manager of health Sepinare Lenkoe the scheme is meant for employees aged 18 years and above who earn less than M10 000 a month and are in continuous employment.
Lenkoe explained that Metropolitan health Lesotho offers seven medical scheme options for employees earning above this threshold.
“The Health4Me follows a building block approach. Employers can choose the combination of benefits most suitable to their employees’ needs and available budget. Health4Me offers employer groups great value by applying our extensive experience and skill in the field, as well as our strong provider network partnership, to facilitate cost- effective provision of day-to-day, as well as a comprehensive set of major medical event benefits to employees.
“The premium starts at M186 per month. It provides unlimited visits to a general practitioner, accident and emergency cover, hospital cash benefit and maternity lump sum benefit and also employer assurance programme,” Lenkoe said the launch.
Metropolitan Lesotho managing director Mamello Phomane said in Lesotho the healthcare challenges remain great. She said Lesotho has the third highest prevalence of HIV & Aids in the world, adding that the scheme would then benefit the patients.
Phomane further said that mainstream medical aid is still unaffordable for many people who are in the low and minimum income base and thus makes it difficult for them to access good quality healthcare.
She said most people who can afford medical aid do so because they are part of “employers who subsidize health insurance and most employers require medical proofs as a condition of employment.”
“Group health insurance is the answer to all employers everywhere because there is strength and scale in numbers. When employees have group insurance, they gain greater access to medical resources. Consequently, workers can rest assured that they can rely on their health care plans in cases of catastrophic illnesses and emergencies. This is peace of mind that a few have. For any business or organisation, providing employees with peace of mind that comes from healthy insurance means reduced sick days and absences and therefore more productive and focused performance
“Research shows that having health insurance at any given time is associated with a lower likelihood and a number of missed work days. Generally, healthy employees tend to be more efficient and productive. Unhealthy workers may retire or quit early, which could lead to expenses on employer’s turnover,” she said.
She added that having healthy employees contributes to greater work productivity which may help in a success and stability of businesses.
She explained that with Health4Me Metropolitan Lesotho has created a solution that is designed to provide employees with improved access to quality private health care with flexible benefits.
