Mandatory insurance for expats and visitors

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain is set to roll out mandatory health insurance for expatriates and foreign visitors as part of an ambitious BD688 million plan to transform its public healthcare system.

The proposal, outlined in the 2025-2026 draft budget, will require approximately 686,000 expats and their dependents, along with over 1.6 million annual visitors, to obtain health insurance.

The move aims to relieve pressure on public hospitals, reduce government spending on emergency medical care, and ensure equitable access to healthcare services.

Under the plan, visitors will pay an additional visa fee, while the existing basic healthcare fee system for expatriate residents will be scrapped. Dependents, previously excluded from state healthcare coverage, will now be insured.

Citizens of other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will be exempt from the new regulations.

To ease burden

The government currently covers emergency medical expenses for visitors, a practice it deems financially unsustainable. By shifting to a mandatory insurance model, officials expect to ease the burden on the public healthcare sector.

New health centres

The BD688 million investment represents a 17% increase from the previous two-year budget. Funds will be allocated to build new health centres, expand existing facilities, and upgrade hospital departments. Additionally, the government plans to establish a genome research centre and a national biobank to support medical advancements.

National organ transplant programme

In Muharraq, a new specialised health facility is set to be constructed, while the national organ transplant programme will be expanded. The government will also continue its transition to a self-management model within the broader health insurance framework.

Six state-run hospitals

Bahrain’s public healthcare network includes six state-run hospitals, notably the Salmaniya Medical Complex and five specialised facilities, which collectively handled around 1.2 million visits in 2023. Citizens accounted for 84% of those visits, while expatriates represented 15% and GCC nationals 1%.

The country also operates 27 health centres, including nine that provide round-the-clock services. Last year, these centres recorded approximately 5.5 million visits, with citizens making up 82% of patients, expatriates 18%, and GCC nationals less than