By Joseph Varghese

 

The National Health Insurance Company (NHIC) will provide its services under a new brand name Seha as the second phase of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is gearing up for launch from April 30.

“During the second phase of NHIS, all Qatari nationals will be covered for their basic health needs,” Dr Faleh Mohamed Hussain Ali, acting CEO of the NHIC, said yesterday.

Unveiling the new name and the corporate logo of the company, Dr Faleh explained that Seha means health in Arabic.

The name and the flowing curves of the new logo represent ease of access to a wider choice of quality healthcare providers.

The first phase of the scheme was introduced in July 2013 for all Qatari women aged 12 and above for gynaecology, obstetrics, maternity and related women’s health issues. The second phase marks an important milestone in achieving Qatar’s long-term vision and goals for transforming and improving its health sector.

“The announcement of the second phase of the NHIS is an important milestone is in line with Qatar’s goal of providing its citizens with the best possible health services, underscoring Qatar’s position at the forefront of healthcare provision amongst Middle East countries,” Dr Ali said.

During the second stage of the programme, all Qatari nationals of all ages, will be provided with comprehensive health insurance coverage for the full range of basic health services through a quality network of public and private providers.

Coverage includes both in-patient and out-patient services including preventative care, emergency treatment, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, long-term care, radiology, ophthalmology, laboratory testing and prescription medicines.

“There is no need for the nationals to register as their details will be collected from the Ministry of Interior. During the second phase the scheme, members will be covered for most of the medical services except certain provisions such as plastic surgery.

“The list of service providers will be expanded before the launch of the second phase of the scheme. Many are in discussions with us. All the providers need to be accredited, registered and licensed by the Supreme Council of Health (SCH).”

The official also pointed out that government will bear all the cost for nationals. “There will be no cost for the nationals to join the programme. Government will pay the premium for all the nationals. They can go to the service providers and avail the services as per the provisions of the company.

“We are working with the healthcare providers to ensure that the expansion of services is as smooth as possible and to make the transition to Seha seamless for the scheme’s beneficiaries. Our aim is to ensure the highest level of service when a member visits a Seha network provider.”

The Seha provider network at present includes HMC Women’s Hospital, Al Emadi Hospital, Al Ahli Hospital, Doha Clinic, Al Wakra Hospital, Al Khor Hospital, the Cuban Hospital and Al Hayat Medical Centre.

The NHIS is being launched in five stages. The first stage began in July 2013 and the fifth stage is aimed to be completed in 2015. The second stage will see the incorporation of all Qataris.

Subsequent stages will see the inclusion of white-collar expatriates, visitors and blue-collar expatriates.

 

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