Dubai: Dubai residents who have still not bought the mandatory health insurance cannot escape the March 31 deadline as the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has facilitated the purchase directly through its website at a click of a button.
Residents wanting to purchase online can go to the website www.ishad.ae. On its home page all the names with details of all the 12 participating insurance companies that can provide the essential basic package for dependents, elderly and domestic servants are listed. The chart shows the name of the insurance company, the agewise price range break-up, their phone number and option to purchase.
Dr Haidhar Al Yousuf, director of health funding at DHA, told Gulf News: “Residents can click on the relevant links to know what is covered and the age wise premium break up. They can also take a look at the network of hospitals and clinics covered under each plan and directly buy the health cover online.”
So far, 4.3 million residents that account for 99 per cent of the Dubai population have been covered.
Dubai residents will not be able to renews their visas at the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) without first getting the mandatory cover and every insurer states this on its landing page.
Dr Al Yousuf said: “The DHA does not want to levy any fine and has provided this facility to those still looking to purchase. Now all they have to do is click a button.”
While the processing of the insurance papers might take longer even after the purchase, Dr Al Yousuf added, “the click would mean the resident has paid and registered and he will automatically come off our defaulters blacklist.”
