RIYADH — About 11.3 million people in the Kingdom, consisting of 3.29 million Saudis and 8.08 million expatriates, were covered by medical insurance during the first quarter of the year, the business daily Al-Eqtisadiah reported on Tuesday quoting the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI). The council said the Saudi citizens covered with medical insurance rose by 16.6 percent to reach 1.25 million in the first three months of 2019. It said 2.03 million dependents of Saudi nationals were also covered. According to the council›s data, 3.29 million Saudis and dependents enjoyed medical insurance during the first three months of the year. It said the number of the expatriates who were medically insured reached 8.08 million during the first quarter of the year including 1.86 million dependents bringing the total number of the people with medical insurance in the Kingdom to over 11.3 million. The council said more than 99 percent of the Saudis were insured by their employers in the public or private sector while only less than 1 percent purchased private medical insurance. According to the council, the medically insured people receive insurance services from as many as 5,248 accredited service providers in addition to 27 qualified medical insurance companies. It said there were tens of companies that manage the claims all over the Kingdom.
