Dubai’s booming health insurance industry calls for more insurance personnel
As policyholder numbers multiply thanks to the newly imposed mandatory medical insurance law, Dubai’s healthcare organisations are looking to recruit an ‘army of insurance personnel’
Dr Atul Aundhekar, Chief Executive Officer of Avivo Group (a major healthcare sector provider in the GCC), explained that more than 5.1 million insurance policies have been adopted since the country’s mandatory medical insurance law came into practice. He notes that in 2013, before the law was passed, there were fewer than 600,000 policyholders. “Most of the big healthcare organisations are recruiting an army of insurance personnel to ensure a smooth experience for their patients,” he added.
“To put it differently, the payment model has changed. So is the buying behaviour of patients. Now we need medical insurance co-ordinators, coders, sub-insurance officers, claims processors, resubmission specialist and empanelment specialist, insurance officers, etc., to deal with insurance companies and process the medical claims of patients,” Dr Atul said. “Healthcare entities such as Avivo Group, which even otherwise faces heavy operating expenditures, are putting additional money on the new department that handles insurance-related activities. Any delay in recovering dues or rejections of claims by insurers make it critical to a business’s well-being.”
Dr Atul went on to explain that Dubai’s health insurance market – which boasts an average of US$1,200 in healthcare spending per capita, placing the country among the top 20 in the world – is now worth more than AED 17 billion annually, and includes 75 insurance companies that offer more than 12,000 insurance policies of various kinds and benefits. “The UAE's health expenditure, which had hit AED 50.3 billion in 2018, is expected to increase 5.4 per cent to AED 53 billion in 2019,” he added.
“Avivo Group – which has a presence in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Kuwait – is committed to providing high-notch health solutions to its patients at an affordable cost,” Dr Atul said. “Our strategy is to maximise resource optimisation to make it more pocket-friendly for our patients.”