Efforts are underway to fast-track the enrolment of Bahrainis into the national health insurance coverage scheme, it has been revealed.
Parliament’s services committee acting chairman Abdulwahid Qarata said co-ordination is intensifying to ensure Bahrainis can begin benefiting from the system, particularly through agreements with private hospitals.
“The law has been in place since 2018, but implementation involves lengthy financial, administrative and technical arrangements,” Mr Qarata said. “We are now working with the Supreme Council for Health to accelerate the enrolment phase for Bahrainis.”
He revealed that ongoing talks with non-governmental hospitals are central to the process, as the scheme is designed to allow citizens to access treatment in the private sector under a regulated insurance framework.
“Arrangements are being made with private hospitals so they can provide services to Bahrainis under the insurance umbrella,” he explained. “This requires detailed agreements covering pricing, billing mechanisms, service standards and data systems.”
Under the model being finalised, the health insurance fund will cover 60 per cent of treatment costs for Bahrainis in private hospitals, with the remainder handled through defined mechanisms yet to be announced.
Mr Qarata stressed that while the public may view the delay as administrative, the reality is far more complex.
“We are talking about integrating hospitals, insurers, regulators and patients into one unified system. This cannot be done overnight,” he said. “Every technical detail must be correct to avoid problems once the system goes live.”
He added that the services committee is maintaining continuous contact with the Supreme Council for Health to monitor progress and remove legislative or procedural hurdles where necessary.
Mr Qarata expressed optimism that tangible progress would be seen soon as agreements near completion.
“The groundwork is being laid now. What we want is a system that works smoothly from day one and truly benefits citizens.”
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