Dammam, Jul 21 (Arab News): Authorities are looking into ways to provide insurance cover for thousands of domestic workers in the Kingdom.

Adel Al-Issa, spokesman for the General Committee of Insurance Companies said preparations are under way for meetings between the Ministry of Labor and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) to discuss the relevant directives and prepare a study related to the insurance of domestic workers against hazards, as well as provide medical insurance.

Al-Issa said that the committee will benefit from the experience of other countries regarding the risks that can be faced by domestic workers, pointing out that hazards that can be covered by insurance will be listed after considering the statistics on the total number of domestic workers in Saudi Arabia.

He said that the price list of insurances for domestic laborers will be determined after studying every aspect of the problem, adding that the difficulty lies in the process of gathering information and data.

Abdulaziz Abu Saud, an insurance specialist, stressed that insurance could also cover problems like domestic workers running away and deportations, in case there was no agreement between the parties during the three-month trial period, inadequate job performance by the domestic worker, physical violence on the part of the employer, and getting permanent disabilities because of work.

Abu Saud said that this step will help domestic workers know where they stand and that they are covered by insurance in certain cases, stressing that this will also reduce the big financial burden assumed by the citizens when they need to deport domestic workers because of the lack of agreement during the trial period.

He pointed out that insuring domestic workers will contribute to the protection of offices and recruitment companies that bring in domestic workers and will limit the number of middlemen involved in recruiting domestic workers.