ABU DHABI // Circumcision will now be covered under the health insurance policies of the country's largest insurer, Daman.
The company is the first in the UAE to offer this, according to the state news agency, Wam.
Neonatal circumcision, which can reduce the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, costs an average of Dh2,000 in private hospitals - almost double the cost of similar facilities in the US.
There have been calls for circumcision to be covered. In an interview with The National six weeks ago, the Grand Mufti and head of the Fatwa Department at the Dubai Fatwa Centre, Dr Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al Haddad, said charging for the procedure, a tradition among Muslim males, was akin to taking advantage of people.
Daman said they had numerous pleas for the surgery to be covered.
"We started to look into it because we had members and corporate clients requesting it. It was quite a popular demand," said Daman's chief commercial officer, Dr Sven Rohte. "We studied a couple of [potential] benefits that are excluded, so we regularly screen things we might include."
The company looked at the financial costs before making a decision. Given the number of males born last year whose families are covered by Daman, the move will benefit about 2,500 newborns this year.
The surgery will be covered regardless of the patient's age, although the target group is newborns.
Dr Rohte said there was no evidence that improper circumcisions were being carried out by parents trying to cut costs. "It is not the case. We have no evidence that [operations] have been done in an unprofessional environment," he said.
Claims can be made online or at any of Daman's branches.
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Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
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The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
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UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
RESULT
Aston Villa 1
Samatta (41')
Manchester City 2
Aguero (20')
Rodri (30')
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