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Friday, November 21st, 2008
The medical industry across the United Arab Emirates – from Dubai to Abu Dhabi – is in crisis according to leading health professionals and commentators on the industry. The situation has developed because demand for care has risen whilst insurance companies have restricted the amount by which premiums can be increased.
Naturally this means that staff in the hospitals and clinics are stretched and overworked, and there is not enough money to pay for new staff. Nurses have threatened to strike, leading to Bahrain suggesting that it will triple pay for nurses and doctors for example.
Meanwhile, other emirates and nations in the GCC region are stating that healthcare in the UAE is at risk, unless a thorough industry overhaul happens. They are calling for the government to step in and help out by allowing hospitals to charge more, having the increased costs passed down the line to the likes of expats living in Dubai and the UAE who pay for private insurance, and easing the bureaucracy that expatriate nurses and doctors have to contend with.
When a partner is relocating to a country like Abu Dhabi or Dubai where contract conditions can be so enticing that the move is a no brainer, for many women they have little real choice but to follow in their partner’s footsteps and put their own careers on hold.
As a woman ‘trailing’ a spouse to the UAE it can be hard to get a work visa in one’s own right, therefore a certain percentage of women take the opportunity to enjoy a career break, be a supportive partner and take decisive action when it comes to the extension of the family. In other words, an expatriate assignment overseas is often the time when non-working women plan their pregnancy.
In a country like Abu Dhabi where health care services at the private clinics are considered to be excellent, getting pregnant and managing the pregnancy and birth are supposedly positive prospects for would-be parents. However, a healthcare warning has just been issued for pregnant women in the UAE…
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From the 1st of January 2006, the E111 form went out of service and was replaced by the EHIC – or European Health Insurance Card. This card covers certain people for certain healthcare benefits in certain countries, but is by no means a replacement for health insurance!
In this article we’ll look at healthcare abroad for travellers and expatriates, as well as your European Health Insurance Card and who’s eligible for it and what it covers.
A recent story in the British and Irish press highlighted the fact that many people don’t actually know the extent to which the card will cover health costs, and so we felt it was imperative to clear up any misunderstandings.
Up until now, expatriates living and working in Bahrain were able to take good advantage of the island nation’s free medical system, but new plans are being worked up that will likely remove this automatic right to free health care and instead make expats pay for all the treatment that they receive.
There are already many benefits to living and working in Bahrain – such as attractive salaries, low taxation and social payments, a great climate and a relatively free lifestyle – but the free access to health care was seen as a great value added bonus by many. However, according to the Bahrain Insurance Association, this free care costs the government as much as 20 million Bahraini Dinar each year.
The plans to make expats pay for medical care could come into effect this month and so this is a health insurance update for expats living in Bahrain…
Cyprus has become one of the most popular choices with expats from the UK in recent years. Ever since the nation joined the EU back in 2004, it seems to have grown in appeal with retired persons and also young families who all choose Cyprus because of its fantastic climate and excellent quality of life. Cyprus has the added advantage of feeling just a touch British as well, because all Cypriots receive English language tuition at school, they drive on the left and until 1960 the island was a British colony!
As a member of the European Union, Cyprus has had to sign up to many directives that ensure fair treatment of all EU citizens in Cyprus regardless of their nation of origin, and when it comes to health care this is very good news for anyone contemplating a relocation to the island.
In this article we will cover in depth your entitlement to free medical care in Cyprus – and for the sake of this article, we’re only referring to the area of Cyprus under the control of the Greek Cypriot government, i.e., the following rules, guidelines and advice do not apply to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
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