Nthatuoa Koeshe
METROPOLITAN Lesotho this weekend launched a low-cost health solution dubbed Health4Me for people who are in the low to middle income bands.
Metropolitan general manager health, Sepinare Lenkoe, said the scheme is meant for permanently employed people aged 18 and above who earn less than M10 000 monthly.
He said employers can choose the combination of benefits that are most suitable for their employees’ needs and budgets.
“Health4Me offers employee groups great value by applying our extensive experience and skill in the field, as well as our strong network to facilitate cost-effective provision of day-to-day, as well as a comprehensive set of major medical event benefits,” Mr Lenkoe said.
He said the premiums start at M186 monthly for a package which has unlimited visits to a general practitioner, accident and emergency cover and hospital cash benefit among others.
Speaking at the launch, Metropolitan Lesotho managing director, ‘Mamello Phomane said while engaging strategic partners over the years, “it became clear that we needed to innovate, create a flexible and affordable solution”.
“What became essential was to cater for our partners’ affordability requirements and also provide them with the ability to access quality health care while giving them flexibility. Health4Me is our answer to this challenge.”
The solution is designed to provide employees with improved access to quality, private healthcare with flexible add-on benefits, she said.
“The carefully chosen and proven building blocks that make up our offering, serve to improve the physical and workplace wellness of all employees.”
Starting with an integrated view of the health and wellbeing of participating employees, Health4Me taps into deep insights gathered over a period of 16 years, allowing them to structure their benefits according to every organisation’s needs.
“We are incredibly proud to present this solution to the health provider community as well as the wider public and private sector community,” Ms Phomane said.
Lesotho is still burdened by a high HIV and AIDS prevalence while malnutrition and stunting are constant challenges, she said. Covid-19 therefore overwhelms an already strained healthcare system.
She said access to healthcare remains an integral part of every person’s well-being adding that mainstream medical aid is still unaffordable for many people who are in the low to middle income bands. This often makes it difficult for them to access good quality health care.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, Colonel Nkhetheleng Mohale said the Health4Me scheme will help army officers who are among the most vulnerable group of low to middle income earners.
“In our line of work, we often deal with weapons handling. In extreme weathers, we handle crimes and enforce the law and all these make us prone to life threatening hazards but with this scheme, we will be at ease. Unhealthy workers cannot provide quality work,” Col Mohale said.