UAE: Health Authority directs insurers to suspend Iranian Hospital from medical coverage
Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Dec 2018
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has issued a notice to insurers, instructing them to suspend immediately the Iranian Hospital from their coverage.
According to a report in Gulf News, the regulator said in a statement, “The DHA would like to inform customers of the Iranian Hospital in Dubai (including its Safa clinic and pharmacy) that it will cease health insurance procedures until the hospital meets the licensing regulations followed by all private health facilities in Dubai.
“Inpatients currently under treatment at the hospital and emergency patients will be exempted to ensure their health and safety. We regret the inconvenience caused and hope that the hospital will promptly rectify its situation and get the needed licence in line with regulatory procedures.”
Insurers in the UAE were sent the directive in mid-November. The insurers as well as brokers have been contacting clients to inform them of the decision. For example, insurance broker Nasco emailed clients, informing them of the DHA’s directive.
“There has been recent instruction received from Dubai Health Authority… for all insurance companies to immediately suspend Iranian Hospital (from coverage),” the company wrote in an email.
Some insurers acted before the Authority’s directive. Oman Insurance said in a statement that it had dropped the Iranian Hospital from its policies in June as a result of the re-imposition of US sanctions on Iran.
Opened in 1972 and located close to the Iranian consulate, the Iranian Hospital is one of the oldest medical facilities in the UAE. M