Kuwait: Kuwait Health Insurance Committee has set the annual health insurance fee for the service, which is mandatory for expatriates over 60 years of age to renew their work permits in the country, at 500 Kuwaiti Dinars (KD) per person, local media from the gulf country reported on Wednesday.
Starting from January 30, expatriates above 60 who hold a university degree in Kuwait can apply for renewing their work permits according to new rules that have ended a months-long ban.
The new system obliges this category of expatriates to pay an annual fee of 250 KD per person and obtain comprehensive health insurance as a condition for renewing the work permit.
The Higher Insurance Regulatory Committee set the annual health insurance cost at 500 KD per worker, in addition to 3.5 Dinars for administrative fees.
The insurance policy will cover the medical treatment of insured residents at private hospitals and clinics for a maximum amount of KD 10,000 per year, KD 8,000 of which is for coverage at hospitals, in addition to 1500 dinars for treatment in outpatient clinics, and 500 is the maximum benefit for ordinary dental treatment.
On January 6, 2022, the Public Authority of Manpower (PAM) board headed by the newly appointed Minister of Justice Jamal Al-Jalawi approved the new system, thus putting an end to the disputed ban on hiring expatriates over the age of 60.
Spouses and children of Kuwaiti and Palestinian citizens who hold travel documents are exempted.
Earlier on October 14, Kuwaiti legal advice and legislation department invalidated the ban – which was issued in August 2020 – saying that it had no legal basis.
The department also reportedly claimed that the decision had been issued by the PAM director-general without authorisation.
According to Arabic daily Al-Qabas, about 4,013 of these expatriates were forced to leave the labor market in Kuwait in the first six months of implementing the ban.
The number of expatriates in Kuwait decreased by 56,300 in the first half of 2021, according to official figures.
