During a cabinet meeting at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and attended by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and His Highness Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, a new health insurance scheme was approved for private sector employees across UAE.
The cabinet endorsed the implementation of a health insurance system for registered private sector employees and domestic workers without existing coverage. Under the new system, employers in private companies and those of domestic workers in the UAE must cover health insurance for their registered employees upon issuance or renewal of residency permits.
This mandate will come into effect from 1 January 2025. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation will be responsible for carrying out essential awareness campaigns and programs regarding this concern.
Before, only employers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi had to cover their employees' healthcare costs. However, now, this decision creates a uniform health insurance standard across the nation, replacing the previous practice where each emirate had its own rules. This change makes health insurance mandatory for workers in all emirates, bringing them in line with Abu Dhabi and Dubai's existing policies.