Insurers seek official guidelines for policies

Dubai: Insurance companies said yesterday they are well-prepared to offer health coverage to foreign visitors but want official guidelines on the subject in order to better design their policies.

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They welcomed the introduction of compulsory travel health insurance requirement for people entering the country.

Good system

"We think it is a good system because the country relies a lot on tourism. We have visitors [annually] more than the population of the country, so it is also good for insurance companies," said Saleh Bin Rashid Al Daheri, vice-chairman of Emirates Insurance Association, an industry group representing 50 insurers.

The UAE receives about 10 million tourists a year and their numbers are growing with the rapid expansion in local tourism infrastructure.

He said most insurance companies have the necessary experience in providing medical coverage and would be able to deliver products to visitors as required by the new visit visa regulation.

Al Daheri, who is a board member of Al Dhafra Insurance Company, however regretted that the industry was not consulted before the government introduced the scheme.

This led to some confusion in the market about financial limit of the coverage, premiums and legal requirements.

"We are hoping that the authorities concerned will issue guidelines to all insurance companies in this regard soon," said Mustafa Vazayil, secretary-general of the Insurance Business Group under the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Vazayil, who is also managing director of Gargash Insurance, said the local insurance was already providing medial and travel coverage to outbound travellers.

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- Anjana Sankar, Senior Reporter