JEDDAH: Saudi government has decided to extend medical facilities to OFWs and other expat workers at Saudi Oger and Binladen free of charge in the government hospitals.
The announcement was made by Minister of Labor and Social Development Mufrej Al-Haqabani and Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah in response to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman’s directives to the concerned authorities to address the workers’ issues including delay in their salaries and medical care, reported Arab News.
Earlier, hospitals would refuse to treat patients not included in the medical insurance system.
The ministries in this regard sent circulars to the hospitals that included terms and conditions and mechanisms to admit the workers of the distressed companies and treat them at all the hospitals of the ministry.
Though the hospitals entertain patients, the directive exempted medical cities that need referral procedures, said the news portal.
The treatment costs and bills will later be provided in accordance with the price lists of the health services applicable at the ministry.
Reportedly, the hospital claims will be sent to the Directorate of Health Affairs and then referred with a letter from the health affairs director general to the director general of the branch of the Ministry of Labor and Social Development in the region for further procedures.
The move comes at a time when the official inspection teams mandated by Al-Haqabani continue to follow up on all the locations of the two companies across the Kingdom, and the emphasis on providing food and free health services to all workers and employees whose services were ended.
The labor minister earlier announced that King Salman’s directives ordered taking a set of measures to guarantee the provision of the free-of-charge treatment to the workers and employees, and to renew their residency cards or grant permanent exit visas for those who wish to leave the Kingdom and also to provide fresh drinking water and food for them at all their locations.
The directives included as well assigning teams to follow up on maintenance and hygiene issues at these locations.
The royal directives included the provision of free-of-charge legal help to support the cases of these workers, and to provide air tickets through Saudi Arabian Airlines for those wishing to leave, with the companies that stopped disbursing these workers’ salaries bearing all the costs, Al-Haqabani was quoted as saying by Arab News.
