Dubai Health Authority launches insurance rewards points program to encourage healthy lifestyle.

• Program inaugurated by H.E. Abdullah Al Shaibani, secretary-general of the Executive Council of Dubai

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 26, 2015:  In a bid to encourage the community in Dubai to lead a healthy lifestyle, the Dubai Health Authority ( DHA) has launched a rewards point program that will be linked to the mandatory health insurance scheme in Dubai.

The program was inaugurated by H.E. Abdullah Al Shaibani, secretary-general of the Executive Council of Dubai in presence of senior officials including H.E. Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of Dubai.  The launch ceremony took place at the Health Innovation Village at Kite Beach where DHA is hosting several activities to mark UAE Innovation Week.

The reward points can be availed once a user logs on to the Isahd community website and becomes a member.  Isahd is the name of the mandatory health insurance program in Dubai and it means happiness in Arabic. The roll out of the health insurance scheme is currently underway and by mid-2016 the roll out will be complete ensuring all Dubai residents have mandatory health insurance.

The community website of Isahd through which people can register themselves is 
https://community.isahd.ae.  Presently users can log on to search for a health insurance they would like to purchase and there are various search options. This facility is known as Marketplace.  Users and businesses interested to participate in the rewards point initiative, can also log on and register themselves. The rewards system will be implemented in March 2015.

Al Qatami, said: “The DHA is keen to encourage the community to make healthy lifestyle choices and rewards are an effective tool to encourage individuals to take positive actions toward a healthy lifestyle.”

Dr   Haidar Al Yousuf, Director of Health Funding at the DHA, said: “This initiative is an excellent tool to foster engagement with the community and the health insurance system; it is also an extremely effective way to encourage positive behavior towards good health. As the health authority, it is our role to try and encourage the community to lead a healthy lifestyle and this program is one such initiative.” 

Al Yousif said that the program, awards points to customers for completing certain healthy actions. The rewards include free access to specialized health professionals or services, healthy meal vouchers, gym membership, free subscription to health magazines etc. “This presents an opportunity for the wider business sector to actively participate in encouraging the community to lead a healthy lifestyle and we encourage them to log on and register to participate in this initiative.”

Big data is the mechanism that will use used to track health behavior of individuals. “Data from apps that are fitness trackers such as Fitbit and participating outlets will be used to provide insured members with reward points. For example, if someone uses the gym three times a week, the data from the gym that is registered in this program will let us know how healthy the user has been and how many points he should receive.”