Gulf | Bahrain
Call to end foreign wives' medical fees
A Bahraini MP has called upon the government to start implementing a decision to exempt foreign wives of Bahrainis from paying medical fees in its hospitals and clinics.
- By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:04 September 22, 2008
Manama: A Bahraini MP has called upon the government to start implementing a decision to exempt foreign wives of Bahrainis from paying medical fees in its hospitals and clinics.
"The cabinet has already endorsed the proposal submitted by Al Asala, the Islamic Menbar and MP Abdallah Al Dossary, but an official decision has yet to be promulgated," Eisa Abu Al Fath, MP for Al Asala, said on Sunday.
In the absence of a decision, the health ministry cannot change its policy of charging the non-Bahraini women for using its facilities, he said.
"Several Bahraini men have complained about having to pay fees for services provided by the health ministry and its health centres, which makes the issuance of the decision to exempt their wives a pressing necessity," he said.
Bahrainis do not pay for any of the services provided by the health ministry, unlike foreigners who are charged according to the treatment or service they receive. A visit to a government hospitals or health centre costs 3 Bahraini dinars (Dh29) while the cost of delivering a child is 150 dinars (Dh1,458).
Unfair problem
"The problem is that the fees for the foreign women married to Bahrainis are ultimately paid by their husbands, and this is not fair because it means that the Bahraini husbands are treated like foreigners in their own lands," Abu Al Fath said.
"We have been arguing for the fee exemption since January 2007, and we did receive the support of the MPs and the government, but no official move has been made to ease the financial burdens on Bahraini families," he said.
"We have regularly encouraged Bahraini men to marry local women, but when they choose foreign brides, they should not be made to forfeit their rights as citizens."
Update: No leave before labour
The government has turned down a proposal from the parliament to allow expecting mothers to take a two-week leave prior to delivery.
The MPs said that pregnant women needed the leave because of their difficult conditions, but the government said that there would be disagreements over who would decide the delivery date as well as its accuracy.
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