Parliament passes BD1,000 income rule and health cover for expat families

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

Compulsory health cover and a BD1,000 income threshold for sponsoring family members passed Parliament.

The move asks the relevant bodies to require any foreign worker or employer to earn at least BD1,000 a month to bring in, live with or sponsor family members in all cases, and to secure private health insurance for each dependent.

Backers said the higher income bar would ease strain on public services, chiefly health and education, by limiting inflows of lower-income households that lean on subsidised facilities.

They added that a BD1,000 floor is meant to ensure expatriates can meet living, housing, schooling and medical costs for their families without turning to support set aside for citizens.

They said compulsory health insurance for each dependent would shift routine care to the private sector and reduce pressure on government hospitals and clinics, which in turn protects the public purse.

Fiscal balance

They also pointed to the state’s fiscal balance programme and wider economic plans that direct support to citizens and seek better value for money.

Parliament treated the matter as urgent on the grounds that it bears directly on population mix and public finance and should be considered without delay.

The proposal was submitted by MPs Hisham Al Awadhi, Zainab AbdulAmeer, Ahmed Al Salloom, Khalid Buanaq and Mohammed Al Ma’arifi.