DOHA: Private insurance companies will have only a limited role in the national health insurance scheme, once it is implemented, since most services are covered by the state-owned National Health Insurance Company (NHIC).
“The scheme will provide a basic package that will cover most of the essential healthcare services. The NHIC will be the only company providing this basic package. However, employers can buy additional packages from private insurance providers,” Dr Faleh Mohamed Hussain Ali, Assistant Secretary General for Policy Affairs at the Supreme Council of Health (SCH), told a news conference yesterday.
He said the scheme will not differentiate between private and public hospitals. “The objective is to provide more choice to people to access quality healthcare. There will be no difference between public and private healthcare facilities. The insurance scheme will help standardise services and the cost of treatment across the facilities.”
Dr Ali said there would be no compromise on the rule that mandates employers to pay premiums for their expat employees and their families. However, he said, the government is considering subsidising the cost of insurance to support the private sector.
“Everyone in the country, including those working in the unorganised sector, will be covered by the scheme. Executive regulations for the law will be issued soon that will specify the mechanism for implementing the law,” he added.
Employers trying to pass over premiums to their employees by cutting salaries or other means will face stern action, Dr Ali warned. “We will monitor all companies with the support of the Ministry of Labour and other ministries concerned. There will also be a system to receive complaints from employees,” he said.
Dr Ali said that expat labourers will be covered through dedicated hospitals and heath centres exclusively catering to them. “Three hospitals and four health centres have been set up for labourers, focusing on occupational health and other specific requirements of this segment.
“The scheme will give them better access to primary and tertiary care through these facilities,” he said. He, however, added the scheme will not prevent labourers from accessing healthcare from other providers.
The Peninsula
