Iqama woes as cheap insurance not available

JEDDAH: Many sponsors and workers of small companies are struggling to get a comparatively cheaper health cover for renewal of iqama (residential permit) as the insurance companies have stopped issuing the same.
The passport department has made it compulsory to have a health insurance for renewal of the iqama.
These insurance companies have reportedly failed to give them clear-cut answers for refusing the health cover and that the firms have merely said that they will do it soon.
Saad Al-Ghamdi a sponsor who has more than 200 workers under him, told Arab News that since Tuesday, he has been trying to get insurance for his workers so that he can renew their iqama, but in vain.
“I visited almost all small insurance companies but they said insurance will not be provided till Sunday for the renewal of iqama. However, they didn’t give any reason for the delay. I tried to get it done in Jeddah, Taif and Madinah, but got the same answer everywhere,” he said.
Ghamdi said his workers’ iqama already expired yesterday (Friday) and that he will have to pay a penalty for delaying the renewal. “I cannot go for the expensive health insurance such as Tawanya and BUPA for my workers because I have a very small firm.”
Aleem Zubair, a small-time worker, said that he too went to a number of cheap insurance companies, but they refused to provide him with a cover without giving any reason. “I am facing problems in renewing the iqama. I cannot afford expensive insurance. I also have six dependents in the family.”
I many case, sponsors force the workers and laborers to pay for the insurance. This correspondent checked with cheap insurance companies, which confirmed that issuance of health cover had been stopped and that the work will resume on Sunday.
Mohammed Aziz of Saudi Next Care Insurance Company said all the small firms are not giving insurance at the moment and that it can be done from BUPA or Tawanya. He, however, refused to give any particular reason for the same, saying that they would resume work on Sunday.
A representative of the Tawanya insurance firm said all the big insurance companies are doing insurance and that the iqama renewal process was going on smoothly at passport department.