Parents have no choice but to pay for circumcision

Routine circumcision is not covered by Daman without a premium plan.

Sanaa Mahmoud says they paid Dh1,000 for her son's circumcision. She believes medical insurance companies should foot the bill.

When her son was born in May, Sanaa Mahmoud was dismayed to discover that her insurance would not cover his circumcision.

"They covered everything, the entire delivery except for the epidural and the circumcision," she said. "It was surprising considering the country we live in.

"My husband felt the same about us having to pay for this procedure. This is something ingrained in our religion, culture and tradition and I think that the country should definitely support it."

After checking with Daman, Mrs Mahmoud was told that her plan did not cover newborn circumcision; for that she would have required premium coverage.

"They informed us that routine circumcision is not covered with our current plan and that we would have to pay the fee," she said. "It was something we were going to do either way, so we had no choice: we paid."

Eight days after her child's birth at Al Noor Hospital, Mrs Mahmoud paid Dh1,000 for the procedure.

Despite knowing that it would cost less at a public hospital, the project analyst opted for the private Cure Clinic in Abu Dhabi.

"It's not a matter of choosing between public or private," she said. "It's about which doctor you feel comfortable with and where the good doctors are, and I felt comfortable with my doctor at that clinic."

Generally satisfied with the service of her insurance company, Mrs Mahmoud was disappointed by the fact that it had to end at her son's circumcision - something she believes should be part of the basic coverage requirements as "a Muslim resident of a Muslim country".