New medical cover policy draconian

Already, the Ministry of Health and Wellness has been instructed to exclude those who get injured due to alcohol and drug related activities from medical coverage. This is contained in a savingram from the Ministry’s permanent secretary, Shenaz El-Halabi dated March 29, 2017, titled ‘Removal from medical cover for self-inflicted harm’ addressed to the District Health Management Team (DHMT) heads.

The savingram states that the implementation of removal of medical cover for self-inflicted injuries will be on; drunk-driving, riding motorbikes without helmet, failure to use seat belts for self or children as passengers, participation in riots and mass gatherings involving violence leading to injury, lung cancer associated with tobacco and tobacco products, and attempted suicide related to alcohol or drug abuse.