Insurance must for visiting foreigners in KSA
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Saudi Arabia recently announced a decision to implement mandatory health insurance which should include coverage of medical assistance and evacuation in emergencies for foreigners intending to visit the Kingdom, as reported by Arab News.
Haj and Umrah pilgrims, however, would be exempted from this requirement. Council of Cooperative Health Insurance officials could not be reached to confirm the date from which the new requirement would be applicable.
Once the new rule is implemented, only those foreign visitors who had taken out proper health insurance policies would be eligible to apply for visit visas in Saudi diplomatic missions abroad.
Dr Saniha Mahejabeen, an expert on health insurance working with a leading private hospital in Jeddah, welcomed the decision. “Most visitors entering the Kingdom on visit visas are parents of expats who are aged or suffering from chronic diseases, and their medical expenses are high,” added Mahejabeen.
Mahejabeen further stated that many women join their husbands here on visit visas and deliver babies, which is an expensive affair. Visitors who are insured will be protected from medical costs arising out of treatment for sudden unexpected sicknesses, infections and accidental injuries. The medical insurance coverage will not only help expatriate residents to ensure necessary care and treatment for a relative, but also protect the host family from enormous hospital bills.
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