THIRTY-EIGHT medical facilities have been earmarked to provide services under the health insurance scheme (Sehati).
These include 11 hospitals and 27 health centres, according to an order published in the latest edition of the Official Gazette by Supreme Council for Health (SCH) president Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa yesterday.
The hospitals are: The King Hamad University Hospital, the Psychiatric Hospital, Ebrahim Khalil Kanoo Community Centre, Abdul Rahman Kanoo Centre for Kidney Diseases, Sitra Long Stay Hospital, Shaikh Abdulla Bin Khaled Centre for Kidney Diseases, Muharraq Maternity and Geriatric Hospital, Jidhafs Maternity Hospital, new Awal Long Stay Hospital in Muharraq, Muharraq Long Stay Medical Complex and the Health Rehabilitation Centre in Jaw.
The health centres are: Sitra, NBB (Arad and Dair), Muharraq, BBK, Abu Maher, Shaikh Salman, Naim, Ibn Sina, Hoora, Shaikh Sobah Al Salem, Bilad Al Qadeem, Jidhafs, Isa Town, Ahmed Ali Kanoo, A’ali, Yousif Abdulrahman Engineer, Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Subah, Kuwait, Hamad Town, Mohammed Jassim Kanoo, Hamad Kanoo, Khalifa Town, Zallaq, Shaikh Abdulla Bin Khalid Al Khalifa, Budaiya and Budaiya Coastal Clinic.
The GDN announced in October last year that a trial run of Bahrain’s ambitious National Health Insurance Programme (Sehati) will be rolled out this year.
The dry run, without accounting and payment which would involve the government and some private hospitals, will run throughout the year, ahead of its official launch in 2024.
Bahrain offers free healthcare to all citizens while a small fee is charged from residents in government facilities.
Under Sehati, citizens and residents will be eligible for two types of health coverage – a standard insurance with government supplying primary and secondary healthcare with free services, and a premium option of receiving treatment in the private sector with around 40 per cent paid by the government.
Various factors including the pandemic has delayed the launch of Sehati, which was originally due to be implemented in 2019.
However, the government has been working on several aspects of the project, the latest of which is the Sehati health card for those affiliated with the Muharraq health centres.
The cards, also in line with the National Health Plan 2016-2025 with the Health Ministry’s highly acclaimed “Choose Your Doctor” scheme, are expected to be rolled out nationwide soon.
The chip-enabled card contains the patient’s medical history, test results, diagnoses and prescription details, which can only be read by authorised physicians.
Sehati (My Health) will offer six packages benefiting citizens, expatriates and visitors.
The scheme, which is expected to be fully implemented in the next three years, features five pillars: autonomy of primary healthcare; restructuring of the Health Ministry; establishment of the National Health Data Dictionary and the National Centre for Health and Knowledge (Hekma); a new health insurance fund – Shifa (Arabic for healing) to be launched for Bahrainis; and a pool of private health insurance providers.
The planned services under Sehati’s compulsory packages for citizens include comprehensive primary health care, inpatient, outpatient and accidents and emergency services in Bahrain, in vitro fertilisation with conditions, medicines, all types of medical examinations, and treatment abroad if required.
Services such as plastic surgeries, cosmetic dentistry, opticals, weight loss surgeries, private nursing care, Chinese therapy using needles, alternative medicine and private rooms have been excluded from the package.
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