|
|
 |
industry news |
|
 |
|
| |
Industry voices doubt in MoH race for health insurance |
|
News that compulsory health insurance will be enforced across the UAE's northern emirates by the end of the year has revived speculation that public hospitals will choke under the strain of more patients.
Press reports quoted a Ministry of Health (MoH) employee as revealing mandatory cover will be in place across the country by the year-end.
Abdulla Mohammed Al Ahmadi, finance and administration manager at the Ministry, said a draft law was already under consideration by the agency.
"The law will stipulate a minimum of services that will cover primary health visits for all expatriates, in addition to necessary surgical operations," he said.
Industry figures, however, have suggested the Ministry's hospitals will struggle to accommodate more patients.
Dr Prem Jagyasi, group director of business development and marketing, Lifeline Medical Group, said insured emirates will face accessibility challenges. "The UAE needs to focus on affordability and accessibility; or the local healthcare system will remain struggling," he said.
To date, Abu Dhabi remains the only emirate with mandatory cover, as Dubai Health Authority has dragged its heels over introducing insurance.
If the Ministry were to trump Dubai it would be a feather in the cap for the agency, whose health system is generally viewed as inferior to that in the two emirates.
Dr Alan Sandford, CEO of Al Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah, was bullish about the Ministry's chance of success. The bid, he agreed, was ambitious, but with funding, hospitals could be prepared within the timeframe.
"Anything is possible given the will and the way," he said. "It would require some infrastructure, both in human resource as well as some capital infrastructure, in order to accommodate billing and so on, but it is possible if these were attended to."
The move would likely encourage private sector interest in the northern emirates, he added.
The surge in private investment seen in Abu Dhabi and Dubai has largely bypassed the Ministry's catchment area.
"If I were in the private sector and a shareholder or proprietor, than I would look towards the opportunities," Sandford said. |
| |
Source: www.arabianbusiness.com |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
