EMF was established in 1948 as a Private Industrial Medical Fund to provide medical aid cover to employees in the engineering industry. Because of the importance attached to healthcare cover in the industry, membership was made compulsory for certain grades of jobs in the industry. With the economic downturn of the 1990s, companies started to downsize, retrench employees and most closed down. This led to the decline in membership. As a result, the Society could not depend on its industrial membership alone. In 2002, the Fund was transformed into a fully fledged medical aid society which opened up to the public. The name changed from Engineering Medical Fund to EMF Medical Aid Society and the society started focusing on recruiting voluntary members. In 2007, the Alphamed scheme was introduced as an additional voluntary scheme to supplement the Society’s income. When the Medical Fund was transformed into a medical aid society, it was mandated by the EMF Board to operate strictly on business lines, i.e. it was supposed to operate profitably and was supposed to offer efficient and professional services to members based on optimal subscription rates. Currently, the Society has got offices. in Harare, Bulawayo and Kwekwe, EMF Medical Aid Society has four (4) schemes namely PRIMARY AID SCHEME, PRIVATE (COMPULSORY) SCHEME, ALPHAMED SCHEME AND SUPERMED SCHEME.
The Private Scheme also referred to as the Compulsory Scheme is specifically for skilled workers within the Engineering sector as stated in the Statutory Instrument 161 of 1991 registered in terms of section 84 of the Labour Relations Act (1985), which is a Collective Bargaining Agreement between employees and employers within the Engineering and Iron and Steel Industry. Hence it is mandatory for the following grades to belong to EMF Medical Aid Society;
- Skilled Worker, Class 1, 2, 3, or 4
- Skilled Worker Trainee, Class 1,2,3 or 4
- Grades B3, B4, C1 and C2 and any higher grade that may be established
The Primary Aid scheme caters for low income earners in both the Engineering and Iron and Steel Industry as well as the public in general. Primary Aid Scheme members have access to Government, Municipal and Mission facilities only
Alphamed and Supermed Schemes are executive schemes for the public, that is, voluntary members from any sector be it industrial, commercial, mining or agriculture.
Benefit limits for both schemes are paid per beneficiary each membership year, which runs from 1 January to 31 December. Awards are generally made in accordance with the Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe (AFHoZ) rates.
There are two systems of paying for services rendered. There is a DIRECT PAYMENT SYSTEM where providers agree to treat our members and claim from EMF and in the CASH BASIS PAYMENT SYSTEM, the member pays cash to the provider (doctor/hospital), gets a receipt and claim form for the treatment and claims from EMF.
Some Medical Service Providers are on a cash basis – These providers of services do not treat our members on the basis of the medical aid card, preferring instead to charge the member cash upfront.