MADINAH, 7 September — Medical insurance for Haj and Umrah pilgrims would be optional, according to Deputy Haj Minister Hatem Qadi.
“Health care of pilgrims will be covered in coordination with foreign Haj missions, Saudi agents and insurance companies,” he told Arab News.
Qadi said the ministry does not want to enforce compulsory health insurance on pilgrims, adding that the new health insurance system, launched on Thursday, was in its formative stage.
He said the government would provide health care to pilgrims from the time of their arrival till departure. The Kingdom has carried out a large number of health projects in Makkah and Madinah for this purpose, he added.
There are several modern hospitals in Makkah, Mina and Arafat in addition to 134 health centers in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa, which operate during the Haj season. There were reports that the Haj and Health ministries were discussing prospects of applying health insurance on pilgrims. But no official studies have been published in this respect. The newly launched health insurance system will be applied in the first phase to the country’s estimated seven million expatriate workforce and their dependents.
Under the scheme, Saudi companies employing at least 500 foreign workers must subscribe to one of several health insurance companies, which operate on the Islamic interest-free cooperative system.
Some 600 companies are expected to be included in the first phase, with premiums estimated at about SR1.125 billion ($300 million) in the first year.
The second phase will be implemented after one year in companies, which employ a minimum of 100 foreign workers. Insurance will be mandatory for all expatriates working in the private sector in the Kingdom from 2004, while foreign employees in the government will remain exempt.
The Health Ministry issued the bylaws for the scheme in June, according to which employers will be required to pay the full premiums for their foreign employees and their families.
Insurance will cover most medical services excluding AIDS treatment, most mental disorders, organ transplants and unnecessary cosmetic surgery among others.
The minimum financial coverage for an individual under the scheme is SR250,000 (about $67,000), and the maximum is SR1 million ($267,000), according to the bylaws.
Most members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which groups Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, impose mandatory health insurance on foreign workers.
