Alpen based its projections in part on health indicators from different GCC ministries, relying on the latest available numbers from 2011. It also used inflation and GDP estimates of the countries taken from the International Monetary Fund, and population estimates from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
However, actual population figures have already quickly surpassed the report’s forecasted projections (there are 2.2 million people in Qatar, far more than the 1.6 million assumed for 2014), suggesting that demand for healthcare is growing even faster than expected.
The country’s new health insurance plan was approved last year by former Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani. Under that scheme, all Qatar residents must be insured by 2015. Locals’ coverage will be paid for by the government, and expats’ premiums would be paid for by their employers.