Plans for compulsory health insurance underway in Oman

Oman Sunday 15/July/2018 13:05 PM
By: Times News Service
Plans for compulsory health insurance underway in Oman

Muscat: Companies in Oman will soon be required to provide mandatory health insurance for their employees, a statement released by Oman’s Capital Market Authority (CMA) read.

According to the statement, CMA is currently drafting plans to roll out mandatory health insurance after the Council of Ministers reached a decision to make it a necessity for all residents and citizens in the country.

According to the statement released by the authority, “CMA continues its efforts to implement compulsory health insurance. The Capital Market Authority is continuing its endeavours, in collaboration with the relevant entities, to implement the decision of the Council of Ministers to apply the compulsory health insurance scheme for employees of the private sector, expatriates and visitors.”

“The decision aims to meet the needs of the employees of the private sector relating to coverage of basic health, so to limit the high costs that employers of the private sector will incur in view of the current economic situation, in addition to ensuring the provision of quality services by insurance companies and health care units to the insured,” added the statement.

Oman’s Minister of Health, Mohammed bin Obaid Al Sa’eedi said that CMA’s plans are in line with the announcement pertaining to compulsory health insurance, made by the government in September 2017.

The statement read, “CMA set an executive work plan as a milestone for implementation of the health insurance scheme, the key of which is preparing a draft unified health insurance policy for employees of the private sector and their families, to ensure sound competition and to avoid any future irregularities by insurance companies to provide the customer with proper basic health cover.”

“CMA reviewed the policy with the relevant entities such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Manpower, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, insurance companies, health services providers in Oman and Oman Medical Association,” added officials at Capital Market Authority.

“The policy is currently under legal review at the CMA. The body [believes] that the best mode of implementation is gradual execution. The next phase will only be after they ensure the success of implementation of the previous phases,” officials added.