Qatar jumps on insurance bandwagon

Qatar is set to follow the lead of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, by rolling out mandatory health insurance to expatriates.

The proposed insurance scheme would take about two years to be introduced, said Dr Michael Walsh, chief executive of the National Health Authority (NHA), and another two before being fully implemented.

In an apparent swipe at the pilot schemes in place in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, Walsh said the added time would be used to iron out any difficulties.

"We don't want to make the mistakes of some other countries, where the health insurance systems have led to chaos due to a lack of proper planning and preparation," he told reporters. "Health insurance is a serious matter and it should not be introduced in haste."

Currently, the health service in Qatar is almost entirely government-funded. Following steady population growth in recent years, however, it has become necessary to find solutions to encourage more balanced distribution of the healthcare costs.

"Ways to do this include involving the business/employer sector, as well as encouraging the private sector to play an active role in both financing and provision of healthcare services," Walsh said.

The NHA has recommended that employers be asked to pay insurance costs on behalf of their expatriate workers.

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