Tobias Meckert
Former General Manager Qatar & Head of Sales Asia Pacific, Allianz Worldwide Care
We entered the market 15 years ago without physically being in Qatar. The GCC is an expat-dominated region, and at that time, we had our first clients in the oil and gas and transport sectors. Our clients in the expat community requested we provide coverage in countries like Qatar, the UAE, and Oman. Our client base has been gradually expanding over the last five years because our contribution to the market is relatively unique. We are the only global insurance company in Qatar that can provide cover in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. When I arrived in Qatar in 2009, SEHA was supposed to be launched soon. However, it was not launched until 2013 in a phased approach, until it was finally cancelled in 2015. This process raised awareness in the market for medical and health insurance, which helped us to grow our business. Therefore, any further government insurance plan will have a positive impact on the awareness and ultimately on demand, and Allianz Worldwide Care is well positioned to capture a portion of the market. Regarding the new insurance scheme, I think there might be an announcement before the end of 2017 when it comes to cover for Qataris, and it will be rolled out to the whole population in further phases.
Manoj S. Poduval
Country Manager Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait, MetLife
MetLife was one of the first insurance companies to be established in Qatar, and we have contributed significantly to the growth of the life insurance market here. We focus on providing a sophisticated set of benefits and excellent customer service in line with global standards. MetLife has built a reputation for delivering market-leading financial solutions that can be tailored to meet the unique savings and protection needs of individuals, families, and businesses of all sizes. We currently operate in the individual life, accident and health, and employee benefits segments. With the recent changes in the insurance landscape and the commitment of the government toward its Vision 2030, all these segments are expected to grow. We look forward to partnering with the government as it designs a replacement scheme now that the National Health Insurance Company’s SEHA scheme has been eliminated. Qatar offers great potential for healthcare insurance, and multinational companies like us are able to bring in best practices from around the world to benefit Qatar’s residents. We also look forward to well-designed insurance regulations. Such rules written in consultation with industry experts can underpin and drive long-term sustainable growth for the sector. In this regard, we would like to commend the Qatar Central Bank for issuing the executive regulations and engaging the industry in dialog.
HervÉ Bourel
CEO, HervÉ Bourel
Daman UAE and Munich Health have been jointly developing a presence within the region for a long time, and in 2010 we decided that Qatar should be part of this development. We outlined a business plan and market strategy, and officially started operations in 2013. At that time, Qatar was a small but incrementally growing health insurance market. The prospective reforms to introduce compulsory health insurance was boosting the segment, so these were the key motivations to enter the market. We have recently had strong development, doubling our membership since I arrived to the company in July 2015. The team has done a great job in creating the fundamentals of this company in Qatar. From my understanding, the Qatar National Vision 2030 states that mandatory health insurance will be introduced for the entire population. As Qatar is one of the world’s fastest-developing countries and wants to be seen as a role model for the rest of the world, the introduction of mandatory health insurance makes a great deal of sense. It means securing access to healthcare and ensuring its quality, equity, and affordability. SEHA was a good initiative to start with, but I do not expect that we will see any development during 2017 for the new scheme.
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