Insurance cover a must for OFWs in Bahrain

Filipino workers hired in Bahrain must have insurance cover included in their contracts beginning Tuesday, May 1. Philippine labor attaché Alejandro Santos said all contracts going through the embassy are required to include the new insurance cover, with the employee’s immediate family members as beneficiary of up to BD3,000 in case of accident due to death. The insurance scheme has been in effect since January this year but the Philippine government made its application mandatory beginning May 1, 2007 for both skilled and unskilled workers. Santos earlier said he had urged employers to take advantage of this scheme because it not only protects their workers but also it protects the employer. Under the scheme, employers pay Filipino worker’s relatives up to BD3,000 (roughly P38,000) in case of death due to an accident. Al Ahlia Insurance Company in Bahrain is offering the insurance scheme to all Filipino expatriates, in association with Federal Phoenix Assurance Company in the Philippines. The cost of the one-year insurance policy is BD20 (roughly PHP 2,500), which covers worker's death due to any cause (except suicide), permanent disablement, critical illness and repatriation of mortal remains. "If a worker, for example, a maid, runs away from his or her employer then his or her air ticket home will not be covered by this scheme," Santos said. Most insurance firms in Bahrain offer only coverage for death or accidents occurring at the work place. The new policy covers all deaths, be they at the work place or not, except suicides. The cover is valid worldwide, so even if the worker is abroad and encounters an accident or falls ill - he or she would still be covered by the scheme, according to a report in Gulf Daily News. The policyholder has the option to have his or her claim settled in either Bahrain or the Philippines. In April 2006, the Philippine government introduced the regulation that all Filipino maids must be insured. "This time, all Filipino workers (skilled or unskilled) must be insured," Santos said. Based on Philippine Embassy estimates, there are about 40,000 Filipinos in Bahrain, of which 30,000 are workers and 5,000 are dependents. The other 5,000 are undocumented workers who have come to the kingdom on free visas. The insurance table of benefits as reported by GDN (at 1.00 BHD = 127.173 PHP exchange rate) follows: * Death due to any cause (other than accident or suicide) - BD750 (P95,379.75) *Death due to an accident - BD3,000 (PHP 381,519) * Permanent disablement due to an accident - BD3,000 (PHP 381,519) * Critical illness - BD750 (PHP 95,379.75) * Repatriation of the mortal remains - BD750 (PHP 95,379.75) * Annual premium - BD20 (PHP 2,543.46) - GMANews.TV