JEDDAH, 9 June — A long-awaited health insurance system under which health care for expatriates living in the Kingdom is to be provided on the basis of the Cooperative Insurance System and its executive laws has finally been approved.
Minister of Health Dr. Abdul Majeed Shoboukshi said that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd has directed the bill be passed under a decision to be issued by the minister.
At a meeting yesterday, the Cooperative Insurance Council, the body entrusted with overseeing the enforcement of the system, made a final revision of the executive laws and approved recommendations put by the committee of experts attached to the Council of Ministers. Views of the Ministry of Finance and National Economy on the law were also sought.
Last week the Cabinet approved a new health law regulating health services in the country. The law directed the Health Ministry to set out a health strategy and establish a full-fledged health care network while allowing the transfer of the ownership of some public hospitals to the private sector.
Under the new regulations, employers would be required to pay 85 percent of the cost of medical insurance for their employees with the rest to be covered by the workers themselves. Sponsors of expatriate workers would be required to provide health insurance cards to their workers ahead of issuing residents permits for them. Medical insurance would eventually be made mandatory for Saudi citizens.
The law also authorized the health minister to take appropriate measures on providing health services to pilgrims during the Haj season.
More than two million people including about 1.3 million from abroad, take part in the annual pilgrimage.
The scheme aims to ease the financial burden on the government, which offers free medical services to some 22 million people, including millions of foreigners.
