EXPATRIATE domestic workers, including housemaids, drivers, gardeners and nurses, will be covered for free in a new national health insurance scheme.
MPs made the amendment to the new legislation last night, despite opposition from the government – which said it would drive up the cost of the programme.
It means a total of 105,000 domestic workers registered in Bahrain would be granted the same health privileges as Bahrainis, with no extra charge for their employers.
Parliament approved the 82-article law following six hours of debate and referred it to the Shura Council.
The National Health Insurance Law will see the government shoulder the cost of 19 categories of medical care for Bahrainis, as well as their domestic staff under parliament’s amendment.
However, other expatriates will have to contribute to their medical costs in 16 of the 19 categories – excluding primary and limited secondary healthcare and emergencies – since they will enjoy only partial health coverage, paid for by their employers.
Charges for expat health insurance will be made through the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) when work permits are issued or renewed.
MP Mohammed Al Maarafee said expatriate domestic workers had to be granted full healthcare coverage, since many of their employers could not afford their medical bills.
The new health insurance scheme is expected to slash the government’s predicted healthcare spending by 20 per cent over the next two decades, said Supreme Council for Health (SCH) chairman Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
“We are expecting our spending on healthcare, with the new scheme, to be around BD800m in 2038 – compared to the original estimate of BD1 billion,” he said.
He added the government’s current healthcare expenditure stood at BD370m, but was set to surge in part due to the growing population.
“The annual cost for expatriates’ insurance (to be paid by employers) will be around BD70 or BD80, nothing more,” he said.
“We are working to reduce it to BD50, similar to the UAE, through a tender that we will issue immediately following the approval of this law.”
However, he said exempting all foreign domestic staff from the fees was a “setback” and argued this should apply to only one domestic worker per household.
“Exempting unlimited numbers of domestic workers will be a setback for us,” he said.
“We could agree on one per household.”
MPs have left it to the SCH to determine the additional fees expats will have to pay for each medical service, the rest of which will be covered by their insurance.
The services that will be provided free for Bahrainis and expat domestic workers include medical check-ups, diagnosis, treatment and primary healthcare; laboratory examinations and X-rays; operations; maternity and child care; hospitalisation for treatment and rehabilitation; dentistry excluding unnecessary cosmetic procedures; psychiatric treatment and consultation; physiotherapy; In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF); liposuction; cosmetic surgery; medicines required for treatment; medical aid devices; cost of one travel companion if the case requires it; ambulance services; long hospitalisation; chronic illnesses; and any services added later by the SCH.
Bahrainis will be able to seek these services for free at government-owned medical facilities.
Those choosing private sector hospitals or clinics will have to pay no more than 40 per cent of the cost, with the government picking up the balance.
GCC citizens, expatriates married to Bahrainis and children of Bahraini mothers will receive the same benefits.
The law also paves the way for a new National Health Insurance Authority, which will invest funds to generate income and will also accept donations, and the new health insurance scheme is due to be implemented in phases from next January.
Foreign visitors to the country will also be covered for emergency healthcare, although the cost of visas will increase as a result.
Meanwhile, providing false information in an attempt to manipulate the new health insurance scheme will incur a fine of up to BD50,000.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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