Residents hail health insurance
By Anjana Sankar
12 September 2005 / Khaleej Times
ABU DHABI Both government officials and residents have welcomed the compulsory health insurance announced by Abu Dhabi government as one that will ensure quality health care for all. Responding to the decision by the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, making health insurance mandatory for expatriates and families in Abu Dhabi, many noted that it will ease them of the financial burden of looking after the health of self and family.
Lauding the advantages of the move, however, many private sector employees expressed concern about having to bear the cost of insurance themselves.
A senior government official in the health sector, on condition of anonymity, said that no insurance company, government or private, should be given the monopoly of handling the policy, if the scheme has to be introduced effectively. "People should have options or else they will be forced to accept whatever is offered to them. To that extent, there will be more competition in the industry and people would ultimately gain," said the official.
"Hospitals and medical professionals will have to offer quality services as the expenses will be taken care by insurance companies. For example, when one is paying for the insurance, why should he go for a less expensive tablet or injection to save on costs?" he asked.
While people like Ria Kareem, an Indian housewife, and Saleem Mushthaq, an accountant from Pakistan, said the insurance will be a welcome relief for middle income families, Mohammed, a private school teacher said it will further burden many. "We are living on a show string budget and hardly save Dh500 a month. What worries me is how much the insurance will cost a family of four like ours," he said.
According to him, many private companies, especially schools are likely to pass on the burden to their employees. "The benefit of the scheme will depend on its implementation. There is a law that says the company should pay for visa and other labour expenses of its employees. I had to cough up over Dh2,500 for my visa and medical check up when the school employed me four years back. So I don't think they are going to pay for our insurance," said a sceptic Mohammed who alleged that he will be terminated if he revealed his second name.
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