Health Card draft law in Parliament

Only $100 per person for full coverage

A draft law was submitted by the Future Bloc's MPs to Parliament for the new ‘Health Card’ project. The draft concerned controlling health expenditures, organizing health services inside and outside hospitals, and distributing medicine to individuals by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

The Health Card would offer health benefits for citizens who are not covered by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). It would encourage resorting to preventive medicine to avoid the expensive costs of future treatments.

Citizens would pay only $100 per year to benefit from free medical services at public hospitals. For admission to private hospitals, they would pay ten percent of the bill. Services include medical checkups and blood tests for chronic diseases once a year. Dr. Mohamad Jawad Khalife, Former Minister of Public Health, said: “The health card project could enhance the health situation by about 50 percent.”

The project also includes supporting public hospitals and improving cooperation between public and private health institutions. Most public hospitals are equipped with the proper machines. Khalife said: “All public hospitals, even those in rural areas, are ready to accept most medical cases, except some special ones such as children’s cancer.”

Khalife said: “The project has good chances of being implemented, and could be applied within one month.”

The health card project will be funded by the MoPH and subscriptions. Khalife said: “The funds needed for the health card are already available in the MoPH’s budget. The estimated health cost needed per person is $233 per year, of which $133 are allocated in the Ministry’s budget. The remaining amount will be provided by each individual.”

The draft law dictated forming a committee under the MoPH to monitor, organize, and evaluate related activities and finances.