Dubai unveils mandatory health insurance plan

The much awaited plan for mandatory health insurance scheme in Dubai was announced on Monday.

Under the scheme, nationals, expatriates and visitors will receive basic health insurance coverage.

The scheme will be rolled out in phases and the first phase begins on January 1, 2009.
All residents and expatriates will have to register themselves with a primary healthcare centre of their choice.

Employers will be responsible for providing insurance cover to their employees. Where there is no employer, the individual resident of Dubai will be responsible for the insuring their dependents and those sponsored by them.

Essa Khadim, assistant director general, medical affairs, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) said the committee is still assessing the way forward for insurance of dependents of employees. “We will not make it a heavy burden on the companies and on the individuals. Individuals are paying a higher living cost because of inflation, so we will take that into consideration.”

Every employer will have to shell out approximately Dh500 to Dh800 per person.
Those who want to increase their cover will have an option to top-up their cover and include additional services.

This payment is known as the health benefits contribution (HBC) and will be reviewed annually.

Simon Hodges of the DHA said: “The payment is expected to increase year on, but along with it the services covered will also increase. By the end of the phased programme, we want the insurance scheme to be at par with developed countries and become a comprehensive coverage.”

In the first phase, primary healthcare, certain laboratory and diagnostic tests will be covered. Emiratis will receive full coverage and there will be no change in the entitlement of services for them, including universal cover and service.

The registration will begin next year and registered outpatient clinics across Dubai will be the centre of the health funding plan. Hospitals will continue to be the sole providers of acute care, said Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director General Dubai Health Authority. “A strong primary care system will help deliver better healthcare in Dubai. Patients are the core of the health insurance scheme and the mechanism is designed to provide high quality care for nationals and residents.”

He said that patients will have the right to choose their outpatient clinic in Dubai and can opt for a government or private provider. However, the only criterion is that it will be subject to capacity.

The health insurance scheme will create the same level playing field for both public and private health providers which is expected to stir up competition and improve the quality of healthcare in Dubai, said Al Murooshid.