In November 2021, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) announced that there will be a new mandatory health insurance system replacing the current one. This law has been published to regular and develop the health sector in Qatar. As the law is supposed to take effect in May 2022, six months after it was publically announced in the official Gazette, we shed some light on what we should be expecting.
What to expect According to the new system that comes under Law no.22 for regulating health services in the country, the current key changes are as follows:
- If you are travelling or living in Qatar, all nationals and visitors have to covered by private health insurance in order to be eligible to recieve basic medical services during their stay.
- Employers have to enroll their non-Qatari staff and their families on the new scheme through contracts that come from registered companies that have signed with MoPH.
- The same obligitaion is applied to recruiters as well and they have to provide basic coverage for those who bring them
- These obligations also apply to employers who have sponsored expatriates in Qatar and they have to provide basic health insurance coverage
- Employers will have to show proof that their employees are covered under this scheme whenever they renew or issue their residence permits. The Ministry has deemed basic health insurance as the prerequesite for getting any premit or visa for any employer in the country.
- According to the contract, additional healthcare services that are not covered under the basic health insurance can be provided by choice by the employer
- Heavy fines will be issued to those who fail to provide basic health insurance to their employees and their family members
- It is mandatory for visitors to purchase a health insurance plan, especially as Qatar is expected an influx of tourists during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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