JEDDAH, 8 September 2003 — The Health Ministry yesterday denied press reports that the Kingdom was planning to introduce cooperative health insurance for foreign pilgrims, and said it had not even considered the point.
“The report on the plan for a cooperative insurance scheme for Haj and Umrah pilgrims is baseless as the ministry has not even discussed the subject,” said Dr. Khaled Al-Mirghalani, in charge of health information and public relations at the ministry.
Al-Jazirah Arabic newspaper reported on Saturday, quoting Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie, that the ministry was planning to implement the insurance scheme for foreign pilgrims. Arab News carried the report the next day.
The minister later told Agence France Presse that the government had no intention to charge foreign pilgrims for health services.
The new executive law makes the government responsible for providing health services to foreign pilgrims during Haj in accordance with the new regulations to be laid down by the health minister.
The government has established hospitals and health centers in Makkah and Madinah as well as in the Haj sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa to provide free health services to more than two million pilgrims every year.
Riyadh has already taken steps to reduce public health spending and will impose mandatory health insurance for nationals employed in the private sector with effect from 2006.
Last year Saudi Arabia began a gradual implementation of Islamic-style cooperative medical insurance for some seven million foreigners living and working in the Kingdom. The government has been offering cradle-to-grave welfare to its 16.5 million citizens, with essential services provided either free of charge or at a heavily subsidized cost.
The insurance scheme’s first phase began on Sept. 6, 2002 and covered expatriates in companies with more than 500 employees. At least one million workers in 600 companies including expatriates working in ministries benefited from the scheme.
The second phase, which started on Saturday, is expected to cover 900,000 foreigners. The third phase will cover all expatriates in the country including domestic workers.
