Cabinet has approved the reinstatement of medical aid benefits for 15 162 retirees who had their membership cancelled after failing to comply with government regulations for re-registration of the Public Service Medical Aid Scheme (PSMAS) after retirement.
“As a result of this amnesty, the affected retirees will be re-admitted into the medical aid scheme after submitting their applications to the Ministry of Finance, Medical Aid Division or through Regional Offices of the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) or Methealth Namibia Administrators within a period of six (6) months (by 31 May 2022),” Finance ministry Spokesperson Wilson Shikoto said.
The government department had previously taken the decision after a verification process found that the affected members had not been contributing to PSMAS, but continued to receive full benefits.
The reprieve comes as Treasury is planning to review the Public Servants Employee Medical Aid Scheme (PSEMAS) following a continued steep rise in operating costs.