Bahrain’s Government Hospitals will implement an updated healthcare price list for expatriate residents in the private sector starting on 31 October 2026. This administrative change is part of the broader rollout of the National Health Insurance Programme, which is officially titled 'Sehati'. Beginning 31 October 2026, Bahrain’s Government Hospitals will implement an updated healthcare price list for expatriate residents in the private sector. The initiative is part of the rollout of Bahrain's National Health Insurance Programme, known as 'Sehati'.
The new billing structure applies specifically to non-national residents currently utilizing public medical facilities. Officials designed the framework to integrate government pricing models as part of the country’s transition toward the 'Sehati' insurance model. By standardizing these costs, the government aims to align outpatient and inpatient service fees for expatriates with the requirements of the national insurance system. Further adjustments to hospital operations are expected as the program expands across the kingdom. The transition reflects a shift in how medical services are accounted for within the public sector, ensuring that the financial framework is ready for the full implementation of the national insurance scheme.
Scope of New Policy
Bahraini citizens, domestic workers, and expatriates employed within the government sector remain exempt from the updated price list. These groups continue to access public medical facilities under existing financial arrangements, ensuring the new billing requirements do not apply to them. The new policy exempts Bahraini citizens, domestic workers, and government-sector expatriates from the updated price list. The exemption policy serves to maintain current service conditions for these specific populations while the transition to the new framework proceeds for other residents. This targeted approach ensures that the primary burden of the billing update is focused on the private sector expatriate demographic.
Government officials introduced precise medical coding linked to a Unified Electronic Medical Record system to manage the valuation, billing, and delivery of public medical services. The system introduces precise medical coding tied to a Unified Electronic Medical Record system to value, bill, and deliver public medical services. This digital architecture records every clinical interaction and maps it to the standardized fee schedule established for the programme. By digitizing the billing process, the system provides a verifiable record for each medical encounter, ensuring that costs align with the updated pricing mandate.
Medical encounters for affected expatriates will be processed as formal insurance claims rather than out-of-pocket expenses. Employers now carry the responsibility for funding these claims, shifting the financial burden away from individual residents at the point of care. This mechanism requires a transition to employer-led coverage for services provided at public facilities. The integration of formal claims processing aims to streamline administrative hospital operations as the national insurance model takes effect across all medical encounters. Through this systematic shift, the government seeks to ensure that every clinical interaction is accounted for within the broader 'Sehati' framework, ultimately standardizing how public hospital services are delivered and financed for the expatriate workforce.
