The changing face of healthcare system

Bahrain’s Ministry of Health has announced a new health care fee structure for non-Bahraini patients, who are not enrolled to the primary health care scheme, in the MoH health institutions.

The fee is for availing services from any of the 25 health centres, three health clinics and other facilities distributed across the four governorates of the Kingdom. The new payment structure, announced earlier this month, also covers services related to Public health and other medical services provided by the ministry.

The fee is applicable for expatriates, who are also non-government employees, and their families, not enrolled to the Kingdom’s primary health care scheme, according to the Ministry of Health website.

Health centre cost structure

As per the new fee structure, outpatients at any one of the health centres will have to pay between BD3 and BD7 for consultations. Payment for various nursing services, which includes wound dressing, range from BD6 to BD2. Other services: injection (BD2), ECG (BD5), IV infusion (BD5).

Generally, nursing services cost between BD 6 and BD1. BD10 is the price of one visit for a physiotherapy session. Charges for Mother and Child Health care services range between BD10 and BD5. Some of the charges listed are UltrasoundMCH (BD10), Breast cancer screening (BD7), child screening consultation (BD7), Family Planning Physician- first consultation (BD7) etc.

Vaccine costs for adults will be between BD 14 and BD3. Influenza vaccine BD4, Typhoid BD6, chickenpox BD13, Yellow Fever BD11 are some of the listed medicine prices. Laboratory -Haematology services, depending on the type of services, cost between BD 10 and BD6. Microbiology lab services cost vary between BD 6 and BD2.

Radiology services, which includes X Rays, depending on the area of scan, vary between BD10 and BD15.

Medical checkup

Approaching a health centre for medical checkup for pre-employment or renewal will now cost BD20. Medical checkup for physical fitness (Domestics) and university acceptance will be BD10.

Public health

The ministry of health has also established a fee structure for chemical analysis services which includes tests like ELISA, pH tests and various other analysis. As per the list available on the MoH website, the service fee varies between BD 2 and BD191 depending upon the nature of the test.

The tests, however, on a fasttrack basis will cost more and range between BD 3 and BD266. Communicable diseases test for Blood transfusion, blood/ organ donor, fever and rash, pre-marital counselling, sexual abuse or sexually transmitted disease range between BD8 and BD11 depending on the nature of the test.

The new list also defines the fee structure for various food microbiology, food inspection, quality assurance, ship sanitation control and tobacco inspection tests. Cost of obtaining a medical report is BD10. Prosthetics service, depending on the nature of the service, now costs between BD3,520 and BD30.

Ambulance services

Fee for ambulance services, drug control, embalming, medical commission, medical reports, prosthetic and social services are also released. As per the new fee structure, ambulance service will now cost between BD 9 and BD 450 depending on the type of the service, while embalming services will cost BD120.

Social services fees vary between BD 5 and BD20. Medical commission services, which includes that for Endorsement of Sickness absence certificate - Private, Disability Assessment - Road Traffic Accident, Assessment of Fitness to continue work - Private, Health Assessment for Granting Personal Loan, optional insurance, range between BD 10 and BD40.

Detailed price structure of various services is available at  https://www.moh.gov.bh/Services/FeesOfHealthTreatments.