• Home

Medical insurance to cover all Dubai residents

An estimated two million residents will be covered by mandatory private health insurance under an upcoming insurance law for the Emirate of Dubai, according to a senior official.

DUBAI - An estimated two million residents will be covered by mandatory private health insurance under an upcoming insurance law for the Emirate of Dubai, according to a senior health official.

Loosely based on the Abu Dhabi model Daman, the new law will mandate basic healthcare to people from all strata of society in Dubai. Regulatory framework of the health insurance law is ready and is currently being reviewed by the Dubai Executive Council.

Timelines for implementation will be announced soon after the law is in place, said Dr Yousuf Haider, Director of Health Funding Department at the Dubai Health Authority in an interview.

“The proposal is in the final approval stages. Once this is done, it will be ready for implementation,” he said without mentioning an expected date for its approval. All beneficiaries, however, will also have to make co-payments to access basic healthcare. Under the law, the sponsor will be responsible for providing insurance cover to those under his sponsorship, be it his family or employees. Like all regulatory frameworks, the law will also address penalties for non-compliance.

The regulation replaces an earlier health-funding model that was deferred by the Dubai government in 2008 after the global economic climate became unviable for its implementation.

“The Health Funding Department has been working on the law while keeping in mind employers, providers and insurance companies,” said Dr Yousuf. “Though many companies provide insurance cover to their employees, it is done randomly and is not mandatory,” he explained.

An estimated 500,000 people already have some form of private health insurance in Dubai. “Once the law is fully implemented and over the period of time suggested, everyone in Dubai will have private insurance,” he said.

A recent Dubai Household Survey revealed that 77 per cent people from the low-income bracket do not have any health cover. “The law is all about protection and we want to ensure that the weakest members of the society are protected by health insurance,” explained Dr Yousuf.- asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com