IPMI uptake may increase in Qatar following new draft law
Qatar’s regulative body has approved a draft law that will make health insurance mandatory for expatriates and visitors to the state
The Shura Council in April approved a draft law regulating healthcare services within Qatar, which also covers compulsory health insurance. According to the law, the Ministry of Public Health is to set standards for providing healthcare services in government and private health facilities and compulsory health insurance, which it is also to supervise.
The new law stipulates that health insurance is mandatory to ensure the provision of basic healthcare services to expatriates and visitors to the state. This means that expats will only be able to be employed in Qatar after submitting proof of compulsory health insurance that covers the duration of their stay.
As the new law is designed to ensure everyone has access to basic healthcare, it’s fair to assume that expats would be able to submit proof if IPMI coverage offered through their employer, although this is not explicitly stated.
In any case, IPMI uptake in the region will no doubt increase as a result of this new law being passed in the future, as will travel insurance, for those visitors who will be required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage for their stay.
In March, Allianz Partner’s Michael Markwell discussed the changing needs of expats working abroad in 2021.