Dubai Government has made it compulsory for all residents and visitors to have health insurance by their employers or sponsors. Henceforth visas will be granted or renewed only on production of health insurance certificate. An announcement to this effect has been made by the Dubai Health Authority. The move is expected to benefit around 2 million people in Dubai largely the expatriates and the blue collar workers who do not have the basic health cover. Under the new guidelines, resident or entry visas will not be processed unless the compulsory health plan is submitted. The UAE nationals will be covered by the Government while the expatriates or the visitors have to covered by their employers or the sponsors. The Health insurance will cover essential medical services including emergency, maternity ,surgical procedures etc. It says that 49 insurance companies registered with the Dubai Health Authority will offer affordable healthcare packages which can be upgraded if required. The Dubai Health Authority said the basic cost will be kept at a minimum of around AED 960 which comes to around Rs.16000 per annum. It has also announced fines ranging between AED 500 to AED 500,000 which comes to around Rs.8,000 to Rs. 80,00000 for those who violate the law.