Kapavore initiates talks for health cover for public servants

National

By HELEN TARAWA
Public Service Minister Elias Kapavore has directed Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari to facilitate discussions to introduce health insurance cover for public servants.
Kapavore, during the launching of Department of Personnel Management’s corporate plan 2020-2040, said the government has to introduce health insurance cover for public servants.
“For far too long, issues such as health insurance and pension scheme have been ‘lip service’,” he said.
“We need to have a system where public servants who are still working fulltime in the public service are covered by some kind of health insurance cover.
“It’s time we need to review the existing laws of the Nambawan Super Act and the National Superannuation Fund Act.
“How do we deliver on key performance indicators and key result areas, if we do not talk about the wellbeing and welfare of public servants?”
Kapavore said he would be having meetings with the superfunds on Friday and invited Lupari to join him.
Another area is public servants’ housing scheme and pensions.
“Let’s be real about the way we deliver,” Kapavore said.
“We’ve got all plans — long-term plans, medium-term — but the real implementers are the public servants.”
Kapavore said his department was developing a 20-year strategic plan to cover 2020 to 2040. It is called ‘public service human resource strategic plan 2020 to 2040’.
It will allow the delivery of services to doorsteps in districts.
Kapavore said that in the future, all public servants after being trained, had to start from district level and make their way up.
“We’d like to see 10 per cent of public servants at national headquarters, 20 per cent stationed at provincial headquarters and 70 per cent at district and local level government levels,” he said.
“I want everyone to start thinking differently, on how we can bring the best out of our efforts.
“We must be innovative in our endeavors to ensure that we utilise the increased number of university graduates to the betterment of the service delivery process.”