Insurance now covers male circumcision

ABU DHABI - Starting April 1, male circumcision will be covered by the National Health Insurance Company – Daman under its comprehensive enhanced plan.

“As a general inclusion, it can be availed anytime during a policy’s duration,” Daman’s Chief Commercial Officer, Dr Sven Rohte said in a statement.

He added that about 2,500 newborn baby boys are expected to benefit during the first year of its activation.

Dr Amin El Gohary, consultant and chief paediatric surgeon at Al Noor Hospital, welcomed Daman’s announcement. He said this would benefit many of his patients who often opt to hold off their newborn’s circumcision due to the steep cost involved which could be up to Dh5,000.

“Hospitals here charge between Dh2,500 to Dh5,000 - Dh2,500 for circumcision plus local anaesthesia and Dh5,000 for general anaesthesia,” he said.

“They cannot afford such cost. So they go back home. In an economic point of view, it makes sense to use the Dh5,000 to get (airline) ticket and pay Dh500 for the procedure in their home country, then come back,” he told Khaleej Times.

However, he warned about the danger of going ‘cheap’ on this procedure in clinics as this could result in bleeding, complications and infections when carried out incorrectly.

“Circumcision is not a minor surgery. You need skills to do it. It should be carried out only by paediatric surgeon or urologist. This is not just a matter of removing the skin, it needs a lot of skills to avoid complications and make it cosmetically nice,” Dr El Gohary, who is also the president of the Paediatric Surgery Society, said.

Circumcision at present falls under the general exclusion policy of insurance companies. Only Thiqa card holders have medical coverage for the procedure.

Dr El Gohary said the incidence of urinary tract infection among the circumcised newborns is significantly less than the uncircumcised.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com