Medical insurance mandatory for Jafza workers

Dubai: Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza) has issued a regulation that mandates medical insurance for all employees sponsored by the authority.

A circular was sent out a month ago to all companies based in Jafza stating that group medical insurance (GMI) is mandatory for all company employees. Jafza has given a December 1 deadline to complete all medical cover documentation, according to a circular seen by Gulf News.

The operations department of the authority said that GMI could be done from any insurance company operating in the UAE.

Jafza was not available for comment.

While some companies based in the free zone would have to modify their insurance policies, others are already in the process of doing it.

"We already had a medical insurance policy in place and the new legislation has not affected us," Juzer Mohammad, human resources manager at Danube Buildings Materials said.

Meanwhile, some companies are still not aware of the new regulation. Human resources personnel at DHL, the global logistics company, said that it had still not received a circular on the issue.

The free zone, spread over an area of 48 square kilometres, has over 6,000 companies, including over 150 of the Fortune Global 500 enterprises from across the world.

Major contributors

Over the past four years it has increased its customer base by over 60 per cent and accounted for 20 per cent of all foreign direct investment in the UAE.

"The education and health care sectors are considered major contributors to the development and sustainable economical growth of a nation.

To develop and implement a perfect health care system that embraces the interests of all; providers, employers, and public, will take time," said Martina Meissner, development manager at Ultimate Insurance Brokers.

Jafza is part of Dubai World — one of the biggest holding companies of the UAE.