By Libya Herald staff.
20 June 2014:
The Dar Al-Ifta, headed by the Grand Mufti, has issued a fatwa on Sharia-compliant medical insurance, in . . .[restrict]response to the growing cost of healthcare since the revolution.
According to the fatwa, companies and state institutes must set up “solidarity funds” for their employees, to which both the company and the employees contribute each month.
The company should contribute a larger portion of the fund, the fatwa stated, and employees must be given the opportunity to choose whether or not they want to opt in. Money can be drawn from these funds to pay for the medical treatment of those employees who need it.
The fatwa also stated that each company must hire a third party “services management” company with knowledge and expertise in dealing with medical institutions to manage the fund. Such companies would be tasked with booking and placing employees in need of medical treatment with the right providers, as well as following up on employees’ treatment plans.
The services management company could either charge a percentage of the total fund or receive an allocated amount for each individual case in payment for its services, the fatwa stated.
Payments for an employee’s medical services, the fatwa said, could only be made after official invoices issued by the medical treatment centres have been received, reviewed and authenticated by the services management company.
The Dar Al-Ifta cautioned that regulations must also be put into place to determine the maximum amount allowed each employee contributing to the fund. [/restrict]
