JEDDAH, 14 April 2005 — The Health Service Committee (HSC) of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) honored BUPA Middle East with its award for best health insurance company for 2004. Second place went to CARS Health Insurance Company.

HSC Chairman Sobhi Batterjee said the results were determined on the basis of responses to the questionnaire circulated by the committee to its members and major hospitals.

Officials and executives from the Ministry of Health, JCCI and hospitals were present at the award ceremony held at Jeddah Hilton.

Batterjee, who is also the president of Saudi German Hospitals Group, said the results of the annual voting showed that BUPA was considered to be the best health insurance provider because of the high quality services offered and its excellent relations with hospitals.

“This annual award is intended to be a motivator for all of the Kingdom’s insurance companies to enhance their services and benefits for Saudi nationals and other residents,” Batterjee added.

Mazen Qutbi of the JCCI said the purpose of the award was to increase the cooperation between private hospitals and insurance companies.

The idea is to improve and promote health services across the Kingdom, following the announcement of cooperative health insurance regulations,” he said.

“This honor is granted yearly to the health insurance company that shows utmost commitment to developing and improving the health care sector by working hand-in-hand with hospitals and clinics across the Kingdom,” BUPA ME Chairman Loay Nazer said while accepting the award.

For the past eight years, BUPA ME has been a driving force in the health insurance industry and is now entering the new cooperative insurance market as it undertakes the final stages of certification under the new insurance regulations being implemented in the Kingdom, Nazer said. He thanked the BUPA ME team for its continued customer dedication.

“In the past eight years BUPA ME has captured about 14 percent of the market with more than 130,000 members in over 350 companies, representing all business and industry sectors of the Kingdom.

The company is currently witnessing a staggering growth rate of 15 percent per annum.