File photo used for representation only.
The mandatory health insurance system targets all expatriates, including domestic workers, labourers and employees. Under the system, companies will provide insurance policy to their expatriate workforce and individuals for their family members.
“Every expatriate who enters or works in Qatar will be required for basic health insurance through the company they work for or provide health insurance coverage for their family members,” said Adviser to the Minister of Public Health, Khaled Al Mughaisib.
Speaking in a Qatar TV programme, he said that there will be a basic health insurance policy with deliberate amounts for all targeted groups as well as a mechanism of implementation. “The mechanisms for implementing mandatory health insurance system will be simple like requiring policy while renewing the residence permit or upon entering the country.”
He said that the mandatory health insurance will come into effect after 6 months when everyone must have insurance.
“The targeted group will apply for insurance policy through their companies during the next 6 months to local private insurance companies,” said Al Mughaisib.
He said that a basic health insurance policy will be for all groups, and then a person can take additional insurance through private companies if he needs.
To a question about monitoring the system, Al Mughaisib said: “The experience is new, we are establishing a health insurance industry, whether from the private sector that provides medical services or insurance companies and their support companies, and they will be responsible.”
“There will be many levels of monitoring within the ministry and through committees, and we have an electronic system that monitors operations on daily basis and through mechanisms to know if there is any kind of exploitation,” said Al Mughaisib.
He said that Department of Insurance and Finance at MoPH will be the supervisory body for the entire project, and that there are several levels for filing complaints, whether from individual beneficiaries, insurance companies or clinics.
Speaking at the same programme, Medical Director of Hamad General Hospital, Dr. Yousef Al Maslamani, said that one of the most important things in the decision of new insurance system is that the right patient gets the right care in the right place, so the places of care will be determined in specialised hospitals or primary care centres.
