Sponsors of spouses, elderly parents must obtain cover even if visa is not due for renewal before deadline.

Under Dubai’s mandatory health insurance law which makes it mandatory for residents to have health insurance cover by June 30, the sponsors of residents found without an insurance during visa renewal will have to pay fines past the deadline.

This means sponsors of spouses and elderly parents must obtain insurance cover for dependants even if the visa is not due for renewal before June 30, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Talking to Gulf News on the sidelines of Arab Health 2016, Dr Haidar Al Yousuf, Director of Public Health Funding at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said: “Under this law, first there is a legal requirement for every Dubai resident to get covered. The second aspect is to establish who is legally responsible to provide the cover.”

“In case of employers,” he added, “it is simple. But in case of spouses, elderly parents, housemaids and house boys, it is the legal responsibility of the individual who is sponsoring their visa.”

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