A resolution has been issued on the protection and care provided for Dubai government employees who sustain vocational related injuries or illnesses.
Resolution No. 62 of 2016, issued by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, specifies mechanisms for providing health care for government employees, or compensation in cases of disability due to a work-related injury, reported WAM.
The resolution reportedly states that government departments have to take all necessary preventive measures to ensure the safety of their employees.
They have to also prepare a list of certain jobs that can expose employees to diseases. Medical check-ups must be carried out regularly for these employees, with the results recorded and stored, the report said.
Vocational-related illnesses must be directly related to the job. These illnesses will be specified through a resolution issued by the Director-General of Dubai Health Authority. The timeline in which the employee was exposed to conditions that caused the disease must be scientifically viable, or if the disease is detected during the employee’s term of service or two years after they left the department.
As per the resolution, employees that suffer from any vocational-related illnesses or injuries will not bear any of the health care costs.
Health care must be provided to the employee until their health condition stabilizes or they pass away, this includes the prescription of medication, providing medical devices or equipment and handling the costs for transporting the patients from the treatment facility to their home.
The resolution stipulates that the employee must inform the department about any injury they sustained at work within a week. If they fail to do so without any valid excuse, the department will not bear any responsibility.
The injured employee has the right to earn his full salary for a period that does not exceed one year, or until they are cured or they suffer a disability or pass away. If the period of treatment is going to be longer than a year, the cases of Emirati employees who are under the umbrella of the General Pension and Social Security Authority will be presented to a Federal Medical Committee, which will determine whether the employee can continue to receive a full salary for a treatment period that exceeds one year. The committee can also recommend ending the service of the employee if they are physically unable to work, said the news agency.
If the employee is a resident, their case will be presented to the committee, which will determine if the treatment can be extended for a period that does not exceed one year, during which the employee will receive 75 per cent of their full salary. The committee can also end the service of the employee if they are physically unable to continue with the job. If the committee decides to end their service, they must give the employee with a six-month notice, or end their service immediately upon by paying the full six-month salary.
If the employee passes away or are physically disabled, the compensation paid will be equal to three-year salary, as long as amount is not less than Dh200,000 and does not exceed Dh1 million, reported WAM.
