ABU DHABI — Male expatriate employees sponsoring more than one wife will have only one spouse covered by the national health insurance policy, according to official sources.

“Employers are responsible to bear expenses of health insurance for only one wife of expatriate employees who are sponsoring more than one spouse,” officials at the General Authority for Health Services for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (GAHS) told Khaleej Times yesterday. “On the employee failing to impart information about sponsored wives, the employer will have the right to include the first wife in the insurance scheme,” disclosed the officials.

According to the federal law governing the newly implemented health insurance scheme, expatriate employees in this category have to inform employers which spouse they want to be covered by the national health insurance scheme.

In an initial step, phase I of the scheme was enforced on July 1 on companies recruiting more than 1000 employees. As per the law, the employer has to cover his employee, spouse and three children under the age of 18 with a health insurance policy that depends on the income of the employee.

“If one of the dependents reached 18 years of age he or she will be excluded from the insurance services and the next younger son or daughter, if any, will consequently be included in the project,” explained the official sources.

A comprehensive health insurance project for all expatriates residing and working in the capital is scheduled to be enforced by January 2007.

The scheme is widely anticipated to relieve expats of the burden of treatment and high medical expenses.