JEDDAH: According to a local insurance expert, the health insurance market has been the least affected by the Nov. 25 flash flooding in Jeddah among all sectors of the insurance industry.
“I believe the most-impacted insurance companies in terms of having to pay compensation due to damages from the flood are those that cover property, such as homes, businesses and automobiles,” said Nidal Saab, head of operations for Bupa Arabia.
“But as a medical insurance company I think we are the least affected and have so far not had any of our members come forth with medical bills associated with the catastrophe.”
He explained that when the floods occurred many of the injured were taken to local hospitals and treated immediately without being questioned regarding insurance and the payment of medical bills.
“We have received no claims. Also I think this is because when natural disasters happen many require quick medical care and are brought into hospitals and treated immediately regardless of how they would pay the bills — some even without proper identification,” he said.
Saab said that during natural disasters or emergencies patients are treated according to rules that state that bills should be submitted to the Ministry of Health.
But Ministry of Health spokesman Khaled Al-Mirghalani denied any knowledge of such a policy. “I am not aware of any account for those injured in the Jeddah flood, but in certain emergency situations where people are brought into government hospitals and there is not enough space for them they are given a paper and sent to a private hospital for treatment that the Ministry of Health then pays for,” he said.
This policy applies to all emergency situations, he added.
Speaking about life insurance, Saab said he doesn’t think that the number of policyholders is currently very high in the Kingdom due to religious reasons.
“However, some international insurance companies are required to offer life insurance for their staff members and for this reason the market could have received some claims for compensation,” he explained.
