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Foreign Missions Seek Full Insurance for Housemaids

ABU DHABI — Diplomatic missions in the capital are planning memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with different insurance companies to provide housemaids comprehensive insurance cover in the event of repatriation, death and court expenses.

Generally, insurance policies that sponsors provide to housemaids only have medical cover, but the Bangladesh Consulate in Dubai has signed an MoU with Oman Insurance Company in Dubai which offers domestic workers full health cover and other benefits.

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Nasreen Jahan, first secretary at the Bangladesh Consulate, said on Wednesday, “The memorandum of understanding with the Oman insurance company will be implemented from today.”

The insurance policy will cost Dh200 for three years, and will paid by the sponsors, she said.

“After February 7, we will approve documents if they furnish details of Oman insurance, or other approved insurance firms. We had already signed an MoU with Dubai National Insurance. We would hold meetings with all registered recruitment agencies to urge them to furnish insurance details while presenting housemaids’ documents for approval to the consulate,” Jahan said.

This would cover repatriation of domestic helps, death, major ailments and expenses of court cases, Jahan said.

Nasser Munder, labour attaché at the Philippine embassy in Abu Dhabi, said, “We are also planning to sign an MoU with Oman Insurance Company in the near future as we have invited them to discuss modalities of the policy 
that would provide extra cover to housemaids.”

There are 25,000 Filipina housemaids in the UAE, while the total number of Filipinos is 350,000. “We intend to improve the insurance cover for housemaids,” Munder said.

Lely Meiliani, head of the information section at the Indonesian Embassy, however, said, ‘‘Our embassy has not signed MoUs with any insurance company.’’

anwar@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE