ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Tuesday 11 June 2013 2 Shaaban 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5727 Price: QR2 Islamic Bank of Amla, McLaren the Year award shine in South goes to QIB Africa’s win Business | 17 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Emir receives Afghanistan president Qatar to give Health cover Egypt five gas cargoes for 90,000 CAIRO: Qatar will grant Egypt five shipments of natural gas to help Egyptians get through the summer until mid-Septem- ber, the Egyptian Petroleum Qatari females Ministry said in a statement yesterday. “Qatar will supply five cargoes Phase 1 of scheme from next month of liquefied natural gas as a gift to the Egyptian people during the DOHA: About 90,000 Qatari conference yesterday. summer months, with the first of females aged above 12 will be “We are starting from Qataris these shipments beginning at the covered in the first phase of the because it will be easier to man- end of July (and continuing) until national health insurance scheme age this relatively small segment mid-September,” Qatar’s Minister to be launched next month. that is already supported by gov- of Energy and Industry H E Dr Initial service providers will ernment funding.” Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada include the Women’s Hospital of Another advantage of this was quoted as saying in the state- the Hamad Medical Corporation strategy is that the popula- ment. It did not give the size of (HMC) and three private hos- tion will be integrated into the the shipments. pitals — Al Ahli, Al Emadi and scheme over a period of time. A delegation of Egyptian Doha Clinic. Maternity, obstet- Officials clarified that contrary officials, including Egypt’s Oil rics, gynaecology and related to some media reports, no one The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani received Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and his del- Minister Sherif Hadara, met Al services will be provided in the will be asked to leave the country egation at the Emiri Diwan yesterday. President Karzai is attending the 10th US-Islamic World Forum in Doha. Sada ahead of the decision. initial phase. because they are not immediately The shipments will help Egypt The second phase of the man- enrolled in the scheme. get through a hot summer when datory insurance scheme will The government will pay pre- energy consumption usually rises begin in the first quarter of next miums for Qataris, while the and the country faces frequent year including the remaining employers are required to pay power cuts. segments of the Qatari popula- premiums for their expat employ- Limited role for healthcare firms In April, Prime Minister and tion through a select provider ees and their families, including DOHA: Private insurance people to access quality health- cutting salaries or other means Foreign Minister H E Sheikh network. three children, according to the companies will have only a care. There will be no differ- will face stern action, Dr Ali Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al The third phase will see an health insurance law issued last limited role in the national ence between public and private warned. “We will monitor all Thani said that Qatar would extend expansion of the network includ- week. Employers are not allowed health insurance scheme, once healthcare facilities. The insur- companies with the support of gas supplies to Egypt this summer ing more private and public to deduct these premiums from it is implemented, since most ance scheme will help standardise the Ministry of Labour and other as needed. Qatar will not deliver healthcare facilities. their employees. services are covered by the services and the cost of treatment ministries concerned. There will LNG directly to Egypt, which White-collar expat workers “We have decided the premium state-owned National Health across the facilities.” also be a system to receive com- lacks import infrastructure to and visitors will be included in and have made an estimate about Insurance Company (NHIC). Dr Ali said there would be plaints from employees,” he said. accept shipments, but will replace the fourth phase that will begin the expected cost of the project “The scheme will provide a no compromise on the rule that Dr Ali said that expat labourers exports from Egypt with its own in the first quarter of 2015. in the initial phase,” said Dr Ali, basic package that will cover mandates employers to pay pre- will be covered through dedicated gas. Blue-collar workers — labour- without giving details. most of the essential healthcare miums for their expat employees hospitals and heath centres exclu- At current prices the Qatari ers — will be covered in the fifth The scheme will use the Qatar services. The NHIC will be the and their families. However, he sively catering to them. “Three cargoes would fetch about $321 and final phase and by the end ID card for identification and only company providing this said, the government is consider- hospitals and four health centres million on the open spot market, of 2015, the entire population verification. basic package. However, employ- ing subsidising the cost of insur- have been set up for labourers, based on a typical Qatari ship- in Qatar, including visitors, is During the first phase (from ers can buy additional packages ance to support the private sector. focusing on occupational health ment of 210,000 cubic metres expected to have mandatory July 2013 to the first quarter of from private insurance provid- “Everyone in the country, and other specific requirements and prevailing Asian spot prices. health cover. 2014) Qatari women wishing to ers,” Dr Faleh Mohamed Hussain including those working in the of this segment. Egypt will take a share of natural “We have gone for a phased access maternity and gynaecol- Ali, Assistant Secretary General unorganised sector, will be cov- “The scheme will give them bet- gas produced by foreign firms for implementation because we can ogy services can take an appoint- for Policy Affairs at the Supreme ered by the scheme. Executive ter access to primary and terti- its use and Qatar will export LNG learn from each phase and make ment directly from any hospital Council of Health (SCH), told a regulations for the law will be ary care through these facilities,” directly to these companies’ cus- necessary amendments,” Dr Faleh included in the network and iden- news conference yesterday. issued soon that will specify the he said. He, however, added the tomers. BG Group, a stakeholder Mohamed Hussain Ali, Assistant tify themselves on their appoint- He said the scheme will not mechanism for implementing the scheme will not prevent labourers in the Idku LNG export termi- Secretary General for Policy ment date by showing their ID differentiate between private law,” he added. from accessing healthcare from nal, is expected to benefit from Affairs at the Supreme Council card. THE PENINSULA and public hospitals. “The objec- Employers trying to pass over other providers. the swap deal between Qatar and of Health (SCH), told a news Continued on page 4 tive is to provide more choice to premiums to their employees by THE PENINSULA Egypt. REUTERS World War II aircraft Erdogan to meet Nurseries to have only women staff protest leaders DOHA: Only female employ- another one year or more session. The Advisory Council ANKARA: Prime Minister ees will be able to work with depending on the performance has also approved a draft law for Recep Tayyip Erdogan has nurseries as per a draft law of the nursery. The proposed taxation on the income of hotels agreed to meet tomorrow lead- on regulating nurseries that law includes 25 articles and six and tourism restaurants. ers of the movement whose was approved by the Advisory chapters. It also specifies condi- The proposed law imposes 10 peaceful protests in Istanbul Council yesterday. tions for obtaining licences and percent tax on the income of have spiralled into a wave of Fifteen conditions have also its procedures. hotels and tourism restaurants anti-government demonstra- been set for the employment of The proposed law also includes and suggests spending five per- tions across Turkey. staff at nurseries. articles on how to monitor nurs- cent of tax in grant allowances Erdogan has repeatedly dis- According to the draft law, eries and suggests punishments to the employees of hotels and missed the protesters as “capul- licences for nurseries will be for those violating it. training Qatari youth to work cular”, or riff-raff. But Deputy issued within 30 days for one year. The Advisory Council approved with hotels. Prime Minister Bulent Arinc They will be renewed for the draft law during its regular THE PENINSULA yesterday said leaders of the Gezi Park Platform group had asked to meet him to end unrest in which police have blasted demonstrators with tear gas and water cannon. “They asked to meet the prime US in damage control after leaks minister and he agreed to meet the organisers,” Arinc said. WASHINGTON: The US was struggling to con- federal data protection commissioner, told the AGENCIES tain one of the most explosive national security Guardian it was unacceptable for the US authori- leaks in US history yesterdy, as public criticism ties to have access to EU citizens' data, and that the grew of the sweeping surveillance state revealed level of protection is lower than that guaranteed to Indian rupee falls by whistleblower Edward Snowden. US citizens. to record low Political opinion was split, with some members of In Washington, the Obama administration offered Congress calling for the immediate extradition of no indication on Monday about what it intended to MUMBAI: The Indian rupee a man they consider a "defector" but other senior do about Snowden, who was praised by privacy cam- slid to a record low against politicians from both parties questioning whether paigners but condemned by some US politicians keen the dollar yesterday as dealers US surveillance practices had gone too far.