The draw in what was more of a slugfest than a chess match left Pep Guardiola's men with 13 points after five matches
Addressing the 7th Healthcare Insurance Forum running alongside the Arab Health Congress, a senior official from the Dubai Health Authority said the focus on preventive measures was the driving force behind the upcoming compulsory insurance model for the emirate.
“Access to primary healthcare was not enforced earlier and our focus was more on specialty care,” Dr Laila Al Jassmi, CEO, Health Policy & Strategy Sector at the authority, said while talking about the trends and experience the authority looked at before revising the existing model. She also said chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease were being looked at in the new model. “The health insurance law, which is expected this year, will give everyone access to basic healthcare,” she told the gathering in a session that discussed “New and changing healthcare regulations and their impact on the healthcare insurance industry”.
Dr Laila also said that as a regulator, the authority was looking into ways to sustain healthcare financially. “The cost of healthcare has increased globally and since we are a developed country, we have to find ways to sustain ourselves financially.
“We are also trying to develop a business industry to reduce costs in hospital-based services, similar to what is implemented in Canada.” Dr Haider Yousuf, Director of the Health Funding Department at the authority, had told Khaleej Times in an earlier interview that once rolled out, the law will mandate basic healthcare to an estimated two million people from all strata of society in Dubai.
Currently, at least 77 per cent of the Dubai population does not have any form of health insurance.
Abu Dhabi already has established a mature insurance system and the emphasis now is on quality, explained Paul Hetherington, Head Of Planning, Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD).
“Our real issue is the outcome which we are monitoring,” he said.
In comparison, Dr Altijani Hussin, Manager, Health Economics, Supreme Council of Health, Qatar, said that health indicators were being built on. “We are looking into the burden of disease and costs before deciding on a proper health insurance model,” he said.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com
The draw in what was more of a slugfest than a chess match left Pep Guardiola's men with 13 points after five matches
Army Radio reported that Netanyahu told lawmakers at parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that it was being examined
The weakness is a further sign of soft consumer and industrial demand,
Investors cheered first rate cuts in over four years, boosting S&P 500 to new records
Some 56% of UAE CEOs expect returns on ESG investments within 3 to 5 years
Credit Suisse came close to imploding months before its takeover
The group has net debt of £15 billion
Key destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah, YAS islands have become hot spots