Iraq’s Finance Ministry recently announced a new health insurance policy that will be made available to all Iraqi citizens.
The health insurance plan, organized by the ministry's National Insurance Company, will allow any citizen to obtain health insurance. In addition to health and life insurance policies, the company intends to offer additional plans for the insurance of personal effects and assets for both the public and private sectors.
Thamer Mohammed Abdul Kareem, director of the Baghdad branch of the National Insurance Company said the company "is trying to raise society's awareness of the need for insurance, and for developing this sector to boost its share in accomplishing comprehensive national development.”
Insurance is "a social principle providing guarantees for people's lives and the future of their families in the face of any hazards they or their property may face", said Abdul Hussein al-Yasseri, who serves on the Iraqi parliament's finance committee. "This principle extends to all economic and investment activities for which insurance forms a protective framework."
The new health insurance plan is a positive step towards putting this principle to work by enabling people to take measures to protect their lives, health and interests. The continuous development of the national insurance sector will "create an economic environment that attracts capital and pushes forward the cycle of investment."
For the original February 13, 2014 piece from Mawtani.com, a service of Al-Shorfa referenced in this summary, click here.