Middle East - Qatar: National health plan for citizens suspended
Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Feb 2016
The national health insurance scheme, Seha, covering Qataris and run by the state-owned National Health Insurance Company (NHIC) was terminated on 31 December last year, in line with a Cabinet decision.
Health cover for citizens will be transferred to private insurance providers from 1 June this year, reported the Peninsula newspaper, citing the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) said. The Council did not specify any interim health insurance arrangement for citizens in the intervening period until 1 June.
Citizens who were admitted in private hospitals before the cut-off date of 31 December 2015 will continue to get insurance cover until they are discharged.
The SCH said that it has finalised details of the basic package for citizens under the new system. This will be referred to the Cabinet in its next meeting for discussion. The SCH has also completed preparation of tenders to select private insurers to provide health cover to citizens from 1 June. Tenders will be invited during the first week of February. The assessment of bids, selection of the insurers and signing of contracts will be completed in May.
Under Seha, which was launched in August 2013, Qatari nationals could access medical treatment at a range of private clinics, hospitals, health centres, opticians and other service providers across the country which had signed on to take part in the system. The government picked up the bill for Qataris. With medical treatment given more than one million times under Seha, and an estimated Qatari population of around 300,000, this equates to more than three visits per person.
The Qatari government has also said that expatriates in the country will have to subscribe to a mandatory health insurance scheme with premiums to be paid for by employers. The scheme is scheduled to be implemented this year.
QAR1 = US$0.27