Private Medical Insurance For Expats in Bahrain

Bahrain is known for being one of the most open and westernised of the Gulf countries with an economy largely based on oil, which is its central resource. Oil was discovered in 1932 and this set the state on a rapid course of modernisation, helping to develop close ties with Britain. According to the City of London’s Global Financial Index in 2008, Bahrain had the fastest growing financial centre in the region, allowing Islamic banking to benefit from the regional boom.

Bahrain has always had a reputation for good hospitality and is very open to the expat community.
The rules on alcohol consumption tend to relaxed but there is a zero-tolerance approach to drink-driving and any drink-related accidents.

Health care in Bahrain

Bahrain has a population of roughly 1.4 million, 25% of which are composed of expatriates. They have three private hospitals and four state-run units, which between them, handle nearly all cases. These are backed by smaller regional and maternity hospitals.

The international hospital of Bahrain, the American mission hospital and the Bahrain specialist hospital, are amongst the best known hospitals in Bahrain. Luckily for expats, standards are very high as the government aims to build up Bahrain as a centre of excellence and attract medical research companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers to set up there. Residents living or visiting Bahrain, get automatic access to the state system and for those needing medical advice, waiting times are generally very short.

Bahrain : Visa requirements

Those who are not passport holders of the Gulf Cooperation Council will require a visa to enter Bahrain. The best way to do this is to get your employer to arrange and process and necessary documents, which are then processed by the labour market regulatory authority in Bahrain.

Work visa

People, who are planning to work in Bahrain, need to show the authorities a health record from an authorised clinic and this is also a requirement for individuals who are seeking to reside there. The main concern is ensuring that the applicant is free of transmissible diseases, including Aids, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. A visa application form with the employee’s passport-size photograph and a copy of an employment contract with sponsorship letter, indicating the employer’s name and contact information are requirements listed by the authorities.

Residency visas: family health records will be needed for residency or family visas.

Identity card

Bahrain’s central informatics organisation provides ID cards to all residents. You will need a sponsorship letter stating the employment and employer’s name, as well as a marriage certificate, a passport and birth certificates for children.

Medical insurance

The Bahraini government’s intention is to make medical insurance compulsory for expats and this will apply to employees of companies with 500 or more on its payroll. Their aim is to make all foreign nationals hold valid medical insurance with an approved provider.

Unfortunately, medical treatment in Bahrain is not free for foreigners, even in emergencies. It is advised by the UK’s foreign office, that you should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling to any country and that you should check for exclusions and know what your policy covers you for.

Health Hazards

The UKs foreign office also advises travellers to ensure they check the latest medical advice with regard to immunisation, and ensure they are up to date with this. They also warn on the dangers of not following safe sex practices.
Furthermore, respiratory and eye problems are common through sand and dust in the air, created by construction work.

Bahrain’s health insurance market

Insurers are always keen to become established in a growing market and Bahrain is no different. In Bahrain, there is a range of individual and group schemes and anyone being transferred to work in Bahrain, by their employer, should make every effort to get their employer to provide insurance cover. This will usually arranged by the HR manager, who will be more experienced in negotiating the right cover, at a fair premium.

Buying health cover in Bahrain

The head of sales and marketing at InterGlobal, has stated that the market in Bahrain is very competitive, as it is generally in most parts of the Middle East. There are no restrictions applied to policies that are bought outside Bahrain, which can sometimes arise in cases where people buy cover in advance of departure. With insurance not yet being compulsory for expats, any good international plan should suite, and renewing cover from within the island state shoulnt be a problem.

Super budget plans

An alternative, where Europeans are on a tight budget, is to buy a cheap local insurance plan and there are three local insurers offering plans that would be worth considering although most plans are bought by lower-paid workers from different parts of the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.

Insurance Providers

Aviva, has newly entered the international insurance market and is highly experienced within the industry. Aviva International Solutions is known to be very competitive for Bahrain and can often offer the best deals amongst the noted UK providers.

Insurance Requirements

Insurance cover for expats makes economic sense for governments around the world, due to the ever rising costs of medical care and government’s generally, having to tighten their budgets. The Gulf States are always competing with each other to attract foreign investment and the aim is of Bahrain is to avoid restricting the type of cover it requires people to hold, and who sells it.