• Follows successful roll out of Daman’s ‘Thiqa’ Early Payment Scheme, now extended to ‘Abu Dhabi Basic’ and ‘Enhanced’ health insurance plans’ claims 
  • Option for early payments through Emirates NBD’s digital Supply Chain Finance solution (smartSCF) to support Daman’s entire medical network

Abu Dhabi: Designed to support businesses operating in the United Arab Emirate’s vital healthcare sector, the National Health Insurance Company – Daman, and Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT) region have announced the launch of a new financing initiative providing an ‘Early Payment Scheme’ to Daman’s extensive UAE medical network.

Daman’s ‘Early Payment Scheme’ leverages Emirates NBD smartSCF, a fully automated intuitive supply chain financing solution benefiting around 2,000 medical facilities with an option for early payment of their invoices at an attractive financing rate. SmartSCF’s digital solution will facilitate Daman to quickly onboard its extensive medical network and will integrate with Daman’s systems to support mass claim processing in a seamless manner.

The initiative follows the successful roll out of the ‘Thiqa’ Early Payment Scheme and has been extended to include claims on ‘Abu Dhabi Basic’ and ‘Enhanced’ health insurance plans, thus making all claims from medical facilities on the UAE’s largest health insurer’s entire network eligible for early payment.

The initiative is of significant benefit to the UAE’s overall healthcare sector as the scheme covers up to AED 4 billion worth of claims eligible for early payment. Medical facilities enrolled in the scheme will benefit from enhanced cash flows, improved operational capabilities and real-time granular visibility of their payment status through interactive dashboards on smartSCF. SME medical facilities, in particular, will benefit from the easy access to liquidity via the scheme and be able to contribute towards the sustainable long-term growth of the economy.

Medical facilities opting for the scheme will benefit from a faster turnaround time for claim payment compared to the industry norm of 30 to 45 days.

Commenting on the announcement, Hamad Al Mehyas, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Company – Daman, said: “We are pleased to be partnering with Emirates NBD as one of the MENAT region’s leading banking groups for the launch of this scheme which is set to enhance the investments and operational capabilities of partner medical facilities. The initiative is a testament to Daman’s commitment to its partners who serve as a vital backbone of support to the community. In this period of the healthcare industry’s global evolution, owed to logistical challenges of the pandemic, it is imperative that we facilitate options for businesses to power the future of their operations.”

Ahmed Al Qassim, Senior Executive Vice President and Group Head, Corporate and Institutional Banking at Emirates NBD, said: “We are proud to collaborate with Daman to offer a digital supply chain finance solution that benefits businesses operating in the vital healthcare sector and the wider UAE community. Our smartSCF solution streamlines and simplifies supply chain collaborations by infusing liquidity in the supply chain and unlocking working capital.  As the corporate bank of choice for the UAE’s leading businesses, we are delighted to contribute to initiatives that ensure the success of sectors that are vital contributors to the future economy.”

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About National Health Insurance Company – Daman

The National Health Insurance Company – Daman is the UAE’s leading health insurer and trusted Government partner, offering leading solutions that provide access to unparalleled healthcare services, covering around 2.5 million members.

Daman is part of ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies with a broad portfolio of major enterprises spanning key sectors of Abu Dhabi’s diversified economy.

A pioneer in health insurance, Daman is the first specialised health insurer in the UAE, with over 15 years of expertise and commitment to delivering best practice, efficiently managing insurance and health fund services to clients and members. Daman provides dependable access to the most comprehensive care network in the UAE, and internationally.

Daman has set high standards in the health insurance industry. The insurer has been awarded a number of internationally recognised awards and quality-focused certifications.

About Emirates NBD

Emirates NBD (DFM: Emirates NBD) is a leading banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Turkey) region with a presence in 13 countries, serving over 14 million customers. As at 31st March 2022, total assets were AED 694 billion, (equivalent to approx. USD 189 billion). The Group has operations in the UAE, Egypt, India, Turkey, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Russia and Bahrain and representative offices in China and Indonesia with a total of 901 branches and 4,060 ATMs / SDMs.

Emirates NBD Group serves customers, businesses, governments and institutions with a range of financial products and services including retail banking, corporate and institutional banking, Islamic banking, investment banking, private banking, asset management, global markets and treasury, and brokerage operations.

The Group is a key participant in the global digital banking industry with 94% of all financial transactions and requests conducted outside of its branches. The Group also operates E20., a digital business bank for entrepreneurs and SMEs and Liv., the lifestyle digital bank for millennials. Emirates NBD is an active participant and supporter of the UAE’s main development and sustainability initiatives, including financial literacy and the inclusion of people with disabilities. Emirates NBD Group is a Premier Partner and the Official Banking Partner for Expo 2020 Dubai.

For further information on Emirates NBD, please contact:
Ibrahim Sowaidan
Senior Vice President
Head - Group Corporate Affairs
Emirates NBD
e-mail: ibrahims@emiratesnbd.com
Tricia Kaul
asda’a bcw; Dubai, UAE
Email: Tricia.Kaul@bcw-global.com