Sharjah to issue new insurance cards from June 1

The Sharjah Health Authority (SHA) has announced the introduction of a new health insurance scheme beginning June 2013.

The Authority informed government departments in the Emirate to collect old insurance cards from employees and their dependents to be replaced by the new insurance cards as of the beginning of next week. The new system will be effective from 1st of June and old insurance cards will be invalid after 31st of May 2013.

The announcement was made in a large-scale meeting held by the authority at the conference hall in the Cultural Palace on Sunday and attended by representatives of the Government of Sharjah’s Department of Human Resources and Department of Finance as well as representatives of various government authorities and departments.

Sharjah Health Authority delivered a detailed presentation on the new insurance system, its goals, benefits, implementation mechanism, as well as the date of expiry of old health cards, the effectiveness of the new cards, and how to deliver the new cards to beneficiaries.

The presentation was delivered by Dr Abdelaziz Almeheiri, Director of the Health Regulatory Department at Sharjah Health Authority, and Amal Al Qatari, Director of the Health Insurance Department at Sharjah Health Authority and Mr Nabil Shanawani from Al Buhairah National Insurance Company.

SHA stressed that old insurance cards must not be used after their expiry on 31st of May 2013, as the cost of treatment would be charged to user. The authority clarified that the new insurance scheme provides the same treatment benefits to all Sharjah Government’s employees, both national and residents, but is different in treatment network as per grades. Inquiries from attendees regarding the new health insurance scheme were answered during the briefing.

Speaking on the occasion, Sharjah Health Authority Chairman, Abdulla Ali Al Mahyan, said: “The directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, are straightforward and clear, mandating the provision of a healthy environment to all the Emirate’s employees and their families as soon as possible. The aim of this is to boost employees’ sense of belonging within the workplace, stimulate them to exert greater efforts, and ensure that employees and their families have peace of mind. The new scheme, also, helps increase investment opportunities in the healthcare sector in the emirate of Sharjah.”

Dr Abdelaziz Almeheiri, Director of the Health Regulatory Department at Sharjah Health Authority, said: “We have discussed various aspects of the new health insurance scheme, which will be effective for employees of Sharjah Government’s departments and authorities as of June this year, with directors and employees of Sharjah Government. We briefed them on the benefits of the new service and noticed their eagerness to implement the new scheme which we expect to be hugely successful. We are ready to respond to any inquiries and positive suggestions”

Amal Al Qatari, Director of the Health Insurance Department at Sharjah Health Authority, said, “SHA is working determinedly to accelerate the implementation of the new insurance system to cover all beneficiaries in the emirate of Sharjah, after having completed implemented the unified scheme for Emirati employees and their families in a record time. We expect good response to this service which is in line with the high standards of Sharjah.”

Al Qatari clarified that the new health insurance system aims to provide equal benefits to all Government of Sharjah’s employees and their dependents, support the public and private health sector in the Emirate, and stimulate this sector to develop by listing most healthcare providers in the health insurance network.

The new scheme also encourages investment in healthcare sector in the Emirate by giving priority to Sharjah based healthcare providers when it comes to being listed in the healthcare network. The system aims also to develop a flexible and adaptable healthcare scheme that is in line with the Emirate’s future plans and to implement this scheme through a private health insurance to ensure consistency.”

The health insurance is valid for all beneficiaries of Sharjah Government employees, both nationals and residents. The insurance covers the Emirati employee, spouse and all children as per the family records (with the exception of married or employed adults). The health insurance also covers the retired employee and spouse, widow of a retired employee and all children as per the family record (with the exception of married or employed adults). For residents, the health insurance covers the male employee, wife and three children below 18 years, or the female employee only.

The unified scheme includes all the organisational grades of local employees as per the civil service law, with the same benefits and medical networks, regardless of their grades. The unified health insurance scheme for government national employees covers treatment of emergency cases all over the world. The number of beneficiaries is 25514 employees divided into four categories.