Oman: Dhamani is not a 'socialised' health insurance scheme - CMA
Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Jun 2019
The move to generalise health insurance among private sector employees, residents and visitors to Oman is not a ‘socialised’ health insurance scheme and will not be subsidised by the government, a senior Capital Market Authority (CMA) official said during a meeting held to introduce Dhamani, the sultanate’s health insurance project, reported Times of Oman.
CMA vice president for insurance sector Ahmed Ali Al Mamari said there is confusion between the concept of private health insurance and social health insurance. He said Dhamani builds on the concept of private health insurance and does not include direct government support or funding, while social health insurance is partially or entirely funded by the government – a model which is already in place in Oman. He emphasised that Dhamani is focused on private-sector employees and visitors to the sultanate and does not include other sectors.
The meeting was organised by the CMA and the Oman Chamber of Commerce, held under the patronage of HE Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said bin Ibrahim Al Busaidi, governor of Al Buraimi.
Mr Al Busaidi said, “The government’s approach to generalise health insurance among private sector employees, residents and visitors to the sultanate is an important step and a progressive move to regulate the labour market in the private sector. The next step should be ensuring the efficient implementation of this project.”
He added that the organisation of such meetings reflects the concept of partnership with the employers in the private sector and other stakeholders, and it represents a real opportunity to understand the different aspects of the project and its suggested implementation phases. M