BusinessLive reports that the Public Servants Association (PSA) has welcomed a call by the Government Employees Medical Scheme (Gems) to carefully consider the process of consolidation with other schemes for public servants.  

Gems principal officer Guni Goolab sounded a note of caution about the government’s plans to merge Gems with other medical schemes for public servants, saying consolidation would require careful planning and consultation with unions.  The proposal is contained in the government’s policy on National Health Insurance (NHI), and is also contained in a discussion document released in September by the Council for Medical Schemes.  “The PSA supports the call by Gems as this cannot be a one-sided decision.  All stakeholders must be involved to ensure that the consolidation benefits all public servants,” the PSA’s Ivan Fredericks said on Wednesday.  The PSA said it supported the government’s push for NHI, and recognised the importance of Gems in this initiative, but remained concerned about Gems’ operational capacity.

• Read the full original of this report by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive

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