Ruvimbo Muchenje
Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC) has claimed sole control of Zimbabwe’s medical aid industry, pushing the Ministry of Health and Child Care out of a sector it supervised for more than two decades.
In Circular 37 of 2026, dated October 5, Commissioner-General Dr Grace Muradzikwa told medical aid societies and funds that the Insurance and Pensions Commission Amendment Act No. 2 of 2026 gives IPEC exclusive jurisdiction over them.
“The Attorney General has clarified that there is no statutory provision for dual
regulation or the exercise of concurrent regulatory jurisdiction between the
Ministry of Health and Child Care and the Commission,” reads the circular.
Muradzikwa cites an Attorney-General’s opinion that Zimbabwean law makes no provision for “dual regulation” or concurrent jurisdiction between IPEC and the ministry.
“The Attorney General has clarified that there is no statutory provision for dual regulation or the exercise of concurrent regulatory jurisdiction between the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the Commission,” she said
Until now, societies reported to the health ministry under the Medical Services Act [Chapter 15:13] and the Medical Services (Medical Aid Societies) Regulations, 2000 (SI 330 of 2000). The circular says both no longer apply where they conflict with the amended IPEC Act.
“Medical Aid Societies were previously regulated under the Medical Services Act [Chapter 15:13] and the Medical Services (Medical Aid Societies)
Regulations, 2000 (Statutory Instrument 330 of 2000). Those instruments no longer apply to the extent that they are inconsistent with the IPEC Amendment Act,” said Muradzikwa.
No replacement regulations exist yet. Until they are promulgated, IPEC will govern through “interim guidelines, directives and circulars,” meaning the industry will be run by instruction rather than statute for now.
With immediate effect, societies and funds must take the following to IPEC:
- registration, renewals and name approvals
- approval of board members and principal officers
- constitutional and rule amendments, and changes to contributions or benefits
- amalgamations, transfers of business and dissolutions
- quarterly returns, audited financials and actuarial reports
- member complaints that internal processes have failed to resolve
Any society with an application pending at the health ministry must notify IPEC in writing within 30 days, attaching copies. The circular says a handover of records from the ministry is under way but gives no timeline.
The industry body
The Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ), copied on the circular, remains a voluntary, self-regulatory body. It sets reference fee structures, enforces a code of ethics and liaises with providers, but has no statutory powers.
