Those on Dubai residence visa have limited or no essential basic package cover in Sharjah and Northern Emirates
By Suchitra Bajpai Chaudhary, Senior Reporter
Dubai: Expatriates on Dubai residence visas living in Sharjah and the Northern Emirates have discovered that the mandatory health care package for dependants has limited, or no coverage in those emirates.
Of the nine companies listed by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) as providing Essential Basic Packages for expatriates earning less than Dh4,000 and minor dependants, at least two do not have coverage in Sharjah and the Northern Emirates while most of the others have very limited coverage in terms of clinics and hospitals.
Take the example of Ahmad, who bought Takaful Emarat insurance for his minor son. When he took the boy for consultation in Sharjah he discovered that the insurance for which he paid Dh650 covered only emergency consultation. “It was frustrating as when a minor is ill I am not really going to brave the Sharjah-Dubai traffic to get him to a doctor. What is the use of this coverage Dubai visa holders living in Sharjah?” he asked.
A call centre employee of Takaful Emarat confirmed that their insurance cover for dependants costs Dh650 for a minor, Dh1,750 for a married woman and Dh2,500 for people above the age of 60. None of these, she said, had coverage in Sharjah. She offered no explanation for why the company did not cover clinics in Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.
Similarly, Ras Al Khaimah Insurance company’s option in the Essential Basic Package category costs Dh588 and has coverage only in Dubai with a Dh150,000 annual limit, upto Dh1,500 for medicines annually with 30 per cent co-insurance and 20 per cent co-insurance in case of out-patient consultation.
Co-insurance is the amount paid by the insurance policy-holder. For example, if the pharmacy bill is Dh100, the patient pays Dh30 and if the outpatient bill is Dh100, the patient pays Dh20.
Almost all insurance policies for dependants follow the same co-insurance payment pattern.
An insurance broker, who faced many complaints in this regard, told Gulf News: “A large number of Dubai residence visa-holders live in Sharjah and Northern Emirates due to affordable housing. For insurance companies it would prove to be more cost effective to have coverage in Sharjah and Northern Emirates as medical consultations might be cheaper, but not providing this coverage has resulted in a lot of frustration among many as the policy they took out for dependants has literally gone waste. Who wants to run to a Dubai clinic when a child is sick?”
A random survey of the other insurance companies on the DHA list indicated that they offer limited coverage for dependants in Sharjah.
Oman Insurance Company, for instance, which charges Dh1,950 for minor dependants and Dh1,000 to Dh4,000 for female spouses offers coverage in only 19 clinics and one hospital. “In Dubai, we have nearly 100 clinics and hospitals in our network, but Sharjah coverage is limited,” a call centre assistant said.
Another insurance broker pointed out that these teething problems were bound to be there for at least a year. “This year whatever coverage is provided will prevail. This is the first and experimental stage. After complaints are registered and the service providers get a real taste of how things are going to work out, they will make the changes when policies come up for renewal next year,” he said.
Shop wisely when buying insurance, Dr Haidar Al Yousuf says
Dr Haidar Al Yousuf, director of Health Funding at Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said the DHA was working with insurance companies to make sure they covered Sharjah and Northern Emirates and will make it mandatory for them to provide cover in these emirates next year. “It would be more cost-effective for them to provide EPB coverage in northern emirates,” he said.
Al Yousuf, however, said people should do their research before buying insurance.
“Shopping for insurance is the same as when you shop for a car. Don’t you research and look at the specifications and see if it tallies your needs? Our website www-ishad.ae has the list of nine companies that provide the basic package, along with their contact numbers and emails. Call them and get comparative quotes. Research the hospitals and clinics under the network of a particular insurance company and buy cover only when you are convinced. Premiums for basic packages range from Dh550 to Dh700, so make sure you buy the one that suits your needs,” he said.
Dr Yousuf also reiterated that the DHA was committed to attending to the needs of the residents and would address their complaints immediately. “ We ask residents to lodge complaints about health insurance through proper channels. The correct way is to log on to the ishad website and lodge a complaint through ipromes. We are sensitive to the client feedback and try to resolve a dispute within 2-3 working days,” he said.
List of nine insurance companies approved by DHA for Essential Basic Packages for those below salary of Dh4,000 per month and minor dependents.
List of nine companies offering Essential Basic Package
Axa Gulf Insurance
www.axa-gulf.com/uae/en/Health-Insurance
Tel: 8004848
Takaful Emarat
www.takafulemarat.com/en/
Tel: 800834
Dar Al Takaful
www.dat.ae/individual/medical-insurance
Tel: 043041604
Orient Insurance
www.insuranceuae.com
042531403
Ras Al Khaimah Insurance
www.rakinsurance.com/ar/dha-medical-insurance
Tel: 8007254
Daman Health Insurance
www.damanhealth.ae/opencms/opencms/Daman/en/home/
Tel: 026145454
Aman Insurance
www.tameen.ae
Tel: 8004746
Metife Alico
www.metlife.ae/en/individual/products/health-insurance
Tel: 80025426
National Insurance
www.ngi.ae
Tel: 042115811
© Gulf News 2017
