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Medical insurance to ease treatment rule

DUBAI — The long-standing rule that requires people to seek treatment only in the emirate of their residence is expected to change once the compulsory health insurance scheme is enforced early next year.

This was hinted at by Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms) officials who, however, refused to furnish exact details.

According to the existing rules, a person can only be allowed treatment in a Dohms hospital or clinic if he possesses a valid Dohms health card.

This also means that the person has to be a resident of Dubai. A person residing in Sharjah or any other Northern Emirate should, as per the rule, only seek treatment from a hospital within the emirate of his residence. The rule is, however, flexible for patients coming to the emergency section or who have a letter from a doctor of a hospital based in another emirate stating that the person requires urgent treatment in Dubai.

People residing in any emirate can, however, seek treatment in hospitals and clinics that are managed by the Ministry of Health.

Kumar S, a resident of Sharjah, citing a recent problem that he faced, said, “My six-year-old daughter has been suffering from a respiratory problem for a long time. I have taken her to several hospitals in Sharjah, even private ones, but to no avail. So someone suggested that I take her to a Dubai hospital. But my daughter was refused admission because I was a resident of Sharjah and did not possess a Dohms health card. I finally had to take her to my home country since I was not satisfied with the treatment being offered here.” Several other people cited similar reasons, asking the authorities to reconsider the rule as they were being denied treatment of their choice.

Officials from Dohms say that the rule was made to check the volume of patients heading to Dubai from the Northern Emirates.

Giving details, Dr Essa Kazim, Assistant Director-General for Medical Affairs at Dohms, said, “The rule has been in standing for a long time. However, patients coming to the emergency sections are not refused treatment due to ethical reasons. But there are people who try and bypass the rule and seek treatment in emergency. For this, doctors assess and decide if it really is a critical case and only then is a patient allowed treatment for which he has to pay.”