Local media reported that the Saudi National Health Insurance Centre (NHIC) will provide free health insurance for all Saudi citizens.

In the words of the Ministry of Health's official spokesman, Dr. Mohammad Al Abdul Ali, everyone who benefits from the government's health services, including jobless individuals and beneficiaries of social security, will be covered by all health insurance programmes of the NHIC. In an interview with Al Arabiya, Abdul Ali made the remarks.

NHIC's healthcare services are available to all citizens if they are not covered by any other healthcare system, programme, or service other than that of the Ministry of Health.

The services provided by the NHIC are also available to citizens who are covered by other healthcare systems, programmes, or special services that are provided to them by bodies outside the ministry.

Beneficiaries also include Saudis employed in the private and public sectors, their families, and children of Saudi mothers married to non-Saudi husbands residing in the kingdom, and non-Saudi women married to Saudi men residing in the kingdom, if their healthcare is not covered by a cooperative health insurance policy.

Non-Saudi workers in government sectors who are not covered by special healthcare systems, programs, or services can also benefit from the service.

Abdul Ali stressed that the National Health Insurance Corporation has adopted a health strategy to provide free insurance coverage and free treatment to citizens.

The Cabinet decision establishing the Health Holding Company and regulating the NHIC was approved earlier by King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saudi.

In accordance with the Cabinet's decision, the new NHIC will purchase health services from the Health Holding Company or its subsidiaries. The budgetary allocations of the MoH for the provision of healthcare services at all levels will be transferred to NHIC, according to the plan, phases, and mechanisms decided by the supervisory committee for the privatization of the health sector.