Many expats do not have health cover
 


 

The Federal government is working on new laws to make sure these people have health coverage, said a senior Dubai Health Authority (DHA) executive on Sunday, announcing the survey done on 5,000 households in Dubai.
 

Dubai:A massive month-long survey of households across Dubai, including house help, shows that a significant number of Asian and Arab expatriates do not have health insurance cover.

The Federal government is working on new laws to make sure these people have health coverage, said a senior Dubai Health Authority (DHA) executive on Sunday, announcing the survey done on 5,000 households in Dubai.

The results will show what the minimum coverage should be and the knowledge will help put in place preventive measures for some lifestyle diseases, said Laila Al Jasmi, CEO of health policy and strategy.

Unlike residents of Abu Dhabi, who are all covered by mandatory health insurance, Dubai has yet to enforce laws that make it compulsory for all workers, including family members, to have health cover.

Because many expatriates do not have health insurance, they do not seek treatment in time because of high costs and neglect their condition, warn senior health management executives.

Health insurance here is much cheaper than the US or Europe, but many companies do not provide cover for the families of their expatriate staff.

Smoking habit

The survey also surprisingly showed that more expatriates smoke than Emiratis, and that expatriates are more exposed to passive smoking at home and the work place than Emiratis. The highest number of smokers were found between the ages of 18 to 39.

A large number of Emiratis (22 per cent) were found to be suffering from hypertension compared to 2 per cent of expatriates.

"The reason is because expatriates who migrate here for work are young and in better health," said Dr Eldaw Abdullah Sulaiman, head of research at the DHA.

The full results will be analysed and released within 18 months, said Laila. "The objective of the survey is to understand the needs of Dubai's nationals, residents and visitors so the DHA can meet their needs by tailoring our policies to suit the requirements of the people," she said.

The survey covered 5000 households, half Emirati and half expatriate, including 700 from labour accommodations.

It covered various health care issues ranging from household expenditure on health, insurance coverage, overseas health care, fertility and childhood mortality.

It also included questions related to their overall physical health, daily physical activity, and chronic conditions such as blood cholesterol, diabetes, asthma, brain haemorrhage and road traffic injuries.
 


 

When it comes to health care and insurance, what are your main concerns? Are you confident in the health care system? What changes would you like to see?