Mandatory Health Insurance for Employees Working in Dubai, Delayed for up to 2 years

Oct. 5, 2011 - PRLog -- IPMI Magazine Travel Insurance, Private Medical and Health Insurance News LONDON, 5 October 2011.

Mandatory Health Insurance for Employees Working in Dubai, Delayed for up to 2 years

In 2009, a mandatory health insurance scheme was proposed by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), to cover every employee in Dubai, to improve the delivery of healthcare for everyone working in Dubai. Originally scheduled to begin in 2009 the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced yesterday a new deadline of 2013.

Laila Al Jassmi, CEO, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) was quoted by local media as saying: "We have the models. But what we need to do is revise the model towards the existing status of the people and businesses in Dubai."

The mandatory health insurance scheme in Dubai is now part of a broader healthcare action plan, with an aim of implementation by 2013. Over in Abu Dhabi, employers and sponsors have been obliged to provide private health insurance plans in Abu Dhabi for employees and their families since 2005. Meanwhile back in Dubai, the results from the first Dubai Household Health survey in late 2010, showed that three-quarters of Indians, other Asians and Arab expatriates were not covered by private medical and health insurance. Another part of the three-year plan is to improve health funding.

To do this, the DHA is proposing a National Health Account that would monitor Dubai's healthcare spending and compare it to that in other emirates. Currently the UAE spends 2.5 per cent of its GDP on health care. In the US, 17 per cent of the country's GDP is spent on healthcare services. Another objective of a National Health Account is to determine the level and type of spending by private hospitals and clinics, which the authority hopes to expand. Public healthcare facilities in Dubai provide 39 per cent of outpatient services, and the rest is provided by the private sector. In addition to revising budgets and investment, the three-year plan also involves providing better access to healthcare information.

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