RIYADH, 23 November — Anthrax victims are eligible for insurance cover in the Kingdom, according to a top official of the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI).
"Since the workers who deal with animals or animal parts might be exposed to anthrax, the disease has been added to the list of diseases linked to occupational hazards," said Suleiman Al-Humaid, governor of GOSI.
The governor also considers those who handle mail as potentially being deliberately exposed to the disease.
As per the provisions of the article 27 of GOSI, the medical care and cash compensations are to be provided to victims of occupational hazards. A subscriber receives compensation in the form of daily or monthly allowances. If the disability is greater, it will be paid on a monthly basis or in any other form determined by the degree of the disability.
However, insurance regulations stipulate that workers should take all necessary safety precautions when working in hazardous environments, while the employers who fail to observe all reasonable safety measures will be punished.
According to an earlier government decision, GOSI coverage will be extended to craftsmen and private workers as well as Saudi employees abroad. The share of subscription to the insurance will be 18 percent, to be paid equally by both employer and employee.
To qualify for a disability pension, a worker must have been employed for more than 12 months (or 18 months if the worker has not been employed continuously).
The existing system makes no provision for widows who remarry.
The regulations have increased the minimum pension by 50 percent and it should not be less than SR1,200. While a fully handicapped worker should receive 100 percent of his average salary, he will not be eligible for payments for his family’s requirements.
The regulations also provide for the allocation for funeral expenses to a maximum sum of SR10,000.
The GOSI coverage extends to 26,600 institutions in the Kingdom, with the private sector accounting for 95.7 percent of the total. The number of subscribers have so far reached more than seven million. With a market worth more than SR800 million, the medical insurance sector dominates the insurance industry in the Kingdom. Motor insurance comes next with SR700 million followed by insurance against fire hazards with SR380 million. Freight insurance market stands at SR300 million, engineering insurance at SR215 million and accident insurance at SR150 million.
