DHA announces two proposed health management companies

Notes and media contacts

On behalf of the DHA, for further details please contact

Nada Al Qassimi
OR
Marcus Pepperell/Philippa Daniels @ FD
Tel: +971 (0)4 332 8832

When you begin to use the scheme, during 2009, you will have to make one small OCP clinic visit fee for every initial visit to your OCP clinic. OCP clinics can set their own fee level but the DHA has established a minimum level per person, per visit. The Government expects that these costs will be kept to a minimum for anyone earning less than AED5000 per month. Information on fees will be clearly available when you select your preferred OCP clinic.

If you are not a resident then you must refer to the health policies of the Emirate where you live.

UAE nationals: Everyone (including UAE nationals) must register at an OCP clinic of their choice, subject to availability, to access healthcare. Once registered, everyone is able to access the services covered by the HBC. UAE nationals must be registered before their new corporate HBC compliant healthcare cover is introduced in 2009. UAE nationals registering at a private clinic will pay the OCP clinic visit fee for each visit and any additional services are payable by the patient from private top-up health insurance. UAE nationals and GCC nationals can continue to access Government clinics (DOHMS) to access the same level of healthcare you are currently entitled to. There will continue to be no charge for these services.

Employers: From 01 January 2009 all employees must be covered by a corporate healthcare scheme. As these policies are renewed in 2009 they will need to be replaced with new HBC (Health Benefits Contribution) compliant corporate healthcare schemes, whereby the employer will have to pay the Government a fee to enable their staff to access the healthcare system in Dubai. As these new HBC policies are introduced, the employer must complete an enrolment form for each of its employees. Everyone working in Dubai must be covered by an HBC compliant healthcare scheme by 31 December 2009. Employers will be able to pay the HBC in one of three ways, either directly to the DHA, via a third party collection agent approved by the DHA or through an employer's existing health benefits insurer. Employers can nominate whether to pay the HBC on a quarterly or annual basis. Within any new HBC compliant corporate health policy, an employer will be expected to maintain its existing health benefits structure if it exceeds the minimum standard set by the HBC.

Sponsors: Sponsors will have to pay the Health Benefits Contribution (HBC) for anyone who is working for them, such as domestic staff. They will also have to pay the contribution for any dependents not covered by employers under any corporate health insurance arrangements.

Collection agents and insurance companies: Within the DHA's health funding model, an employer can pay the new health benefits contribution (HBC) in two ways. It can either pay the HBC payment directly to the DHA or it can pay the contribution via an alternative DHA approved collection agent. Whilst other health insurance providers are able to administer an employer's HBC commitments, it is not able to handle any of the financial aspects of the system. In this instance, monies will have to be paid directly to the DHA. Both the Government and any appointed collection agents will be able to issue health cards for the new health funding system. All insurance companies in Dubai are invited by the DHA to become collection agents.

The DHA: The DHA will collect the Health Benefits Contribution (HBC). It will then manage these funds, providing long term strategic health planning for Dubai. The DHA will also administer the collection, management and where necessary, the publication of all performance data supplied by the health sector. A standard fee will be paid by DHA to each registered OCP clinic for every patient it has registered. These funds will be sent directly to the Health Management Company (HMC).

Health Management Companies: As Doctors are not administrators, the Health Management Companies (HMCs) will provide administrative and other support services to help the registered clinic focus on its core healthcare activities. Health Management Companies (HMCs) will support OCP clinics in the DHA's drive to improve the quality of care across the sector. One of their main priorities will be to ensure that every clinic secures the correct funds from the DHA. The DHA will appoint two Health Management Companies (HMCs) and every registered OCP clinic will be allocated to one for a three year period.
Outpatient Care Practice Clinics (OCP clinics): Registered OCP clinics will be accountable for the overall health of their patients and will be encouraged (through regulation and bonus payments) to provide high quality care. All existing licensed OCP clinics in Dubai from within both the public and private sectors will automatically be included within the DHA list of approved OCP clinics. Everyone will need to be registered at an OCP clinic to access the new health funding system and an OCP clinic will decide what is the most appropriate medical care for its patients. All OCP clinics will therefore need to build their existing relationships with all hospitals and specialist clinics in Dubai to provide the best health services for their patients. It will also be able to set its OCP clinic visit fee structure for every patient visit. Any OCP clinics which decide to opt-out of the new system will continue to be licensed and be free to offer medical services to either private patients or on behalf of registered OCP clinics that choose not to provide these specialist services in-house.

Hospitals and specialist clinics: Hospital services and specialist clinics remain important for the provision of care for all serious cases. This will continue. However these resources are precious and expensive so it is the DHA's aim to ensure that these are used as efficiently and effectively as possible. The more efficient and effective a health funding system is then more people can secure the very best treatment available. Within the new health funding system, hospitals will continue to build their relationships with OCP clinics, offering a range of high quality care. Hospital care will be paid either by the HMC out of a clinic's budget or, where acute in-patient care is provided, hospitals will be paid from a Government central fund. Further details on the role of hospitals in the new system will be announced in 2009.

Further details on all aspects of the DHA and the role of everyone within it can be found on the DHA website (www.dha.gov.ae).

Anyone interested in becoming part of the DHA Online Community should log onto the following link: http://www.dhacommunity.com/dha/invite.aspx. Alternatively access can be made via the DHA website.