RIYADH, 18 June 2006 — As the July deadline looms to bring expatriates into the mandatory health insurance scheme, a private health care center has unveiled an innovative scheme for the low-income expatriates.
Spelling out the details of the scheme at a press conference here yesterday, Prince Abdullah ibn Mansour, chairman of the Shifa Al-Bahrain Medical Group (SBMG), said his group has established a joint venture with Mohammed Al-Rabbih Est. of Riyadh for opening relief clinics in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar.
These clinics will offer up to an 80-percent discount on consultation fees to expatriates earning SR400 per month or less.
Prince Abdullah said the SBMG, which runs a chain of clinics in the Gulf region, has recruited 40 specialists from India to provide consultancy services in various disciplines. The first relief clinic will be set up in Jeddah in September followed by a second one in Riyadh in November and a third in Alkhobar by the end of this year.
The SBMG chief said the decision to offer substantial discounts to the low-income group was taken in view of the difficulties these employees are facing when they need to consult specialists. “The consultation charge is beyond their means,” he observed.
According to the prince, 50 percent of the expatriate population in the Kingdom is yet to be covered by the health insurance scheme which was made mandatory starting January this year. Under the scheme, no expatriate’s iqama would be renewed unless he has been covered by health insurance.
The Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI) has directed companies to provide health insurance cover to their employees. They also have to furnish details of health insurance policies and iqama numbers of beneficiaries and their dependents to the insurance companies.
The Ministry of Health is working on a project with the General Directorate of Passports to link iqamas electronically with health insurance which would be implemented for all expatriates within a month.
Three years later, Saudis would also come within the purview of the health insurance scheme, when 16 million citizens will be covered under a program that would be implemented in phases.
The CCHI has signed contracts with 26 hospitals and medical centers in Riyadh, Dhahran, Alkhobar and Jubail, Khamis Mushayt, Taif, Jeddah, Tabuk and other places.
The coverage includes outpatient and inpatient health services, as well as delivery and dental care. The agreement is seen as a good beginning for medical cooperative insurance scheme as it would encourage other companies to follow suit.
