The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has announced that the implementation of the first phase of the mandatory Health Insurance Scheme in the State of Qatar will begin on 1 February 2023, with all visitors to the State of Qatar required to have a health insurance policy.

​This is in accordance with Law No. (22) of 2021 regarding the regulation of healthcare services within the State of Qatar, which stipulates that all visitors shall be covered by the mandatory Health Insurance Scheme. The Scheme will be implemented in phases to ensure a smooth rollout. The first phase will start with visitors to the State of Qatar on 1 February 2023.

The Ministry has set the necessary arrangements to launch the first phase of the Scheme, including enabling visitors to obtain a health insurance policy from MOPH-registered health insurance companies.

The Ministry explained that the insurance policy for visitors covers emergency and accident services only, with a premium of 50 Qatari Riyals per month at the initial issuance and upon extension of the visa. The visitor can also obtain a health insurance policy that covers additional services, and the premiums for such policies will vary depending on the prices of the insurance companies.

The Ministry pointed out that visitors can choose one of the registered insurance companies through the links available on the MOPH website. When visitors apply for an entry visa to the State of Qatar, they must have a health insurance policy as it is one of the requirements for obtaining a visitor’s visa. The same process applies when extending the visitor visa.

The Ministry indicated that for visitors who hold international health insurance, the insurance policy must include the State of Qatar, be valid during their stay in the country, and issued by one of the insurance companies approved in the State of Qatar.

The Scheme aims to regulate health insurance and ensure continuous improvements and accessibility of the population to healthcare services, through an effective and sustainable healthcare system, and to regulate healthcare expenditure.

For more information on the health insurance scheme and for the list of MOPH-registered insurance companies, click here.

For any inquiries, you can also contact the healthcare sector’s unified call center in the State of Qatar at 16000. For international calls, please use this number 0097444069963.

Source and cover image: MOPH Qatar

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Darlene

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