Riyadh, Sept 07: Saudi Arabia plans to bill foreign pilgrims to its Islamic holy sites for health services which have previously been provided free, a newspaper reported here today. The paper quoted a statement from Health Minister Dr Hamad al-Manie, which did not give a date for the levies to start on foreigners making the major annual 'Hajj' and minor 'Umrah' pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina.
The move comes amid government efforts to reduce public health spending by imposing mandatory health insurance on nationals employed in the private sector with effect from 2006. More than three million non-Saudi Muslims visit the kingdom each year to make the pilgrimage, one of the pillars of the Islamic faith.
Saudi Arabia began in September a gradual implementation of Islamic-style cooperative medical insurance on some seven million foreigners living and working in the kingdom. The world's top oil exporter has been offering cradle-to-grave welfare to its 16.5 million citizens, with essential services provided either free of charge or at a heavily-subsidised cost. Bureau Report