It wasn’t very long ago that we were reporting about Dubai supposedly heading the same way as Abu Dhabi, and making health insurance compulsory for expatriate individuals. However, as anyone who’s lived in Dubai knows, a month is a very long time in the emirate – and a heck of a lot can happen over the course of just one year!
Whilst Abu Dhabi made health insurance compulsory for foreign nationals back in 2008, Dubai has applied very firm breaking to their progression along the same track. At the same time, a lot of negative publicity has focused on the emirate and so tales of underfunding in the health sector, of long waits to see doctors and of large medical bills befalling ill expats have become public knowledge.
As a result of this slightly confused picture we thought we’d update you on the state of medical services in Dubai, and offer up the 10 things expats need to know about healthcare in Dubai for anyone thinking about moving to live and work in the emirate.
Generally speaking, healthcare is up to Western or European standards in Dubai – and it certainly is if you head for the private sector. However, because the government has pretty much allowed free access to medical services to all qualifying individuals to date, doctors are stretched in terms of their time, and facilities and amenities are also under pressure.
It was this very fact that resulted in the decision to make private health insurance compulsory for expatriates in the first place – but then Dubai’s economic bubble all but burst, and the general consensus of opinion was that any more financial pressure placed on the foreign workforce would have them packing up and heading out.
Furthermore, the proposed structuring of the health insurance industry in Dubai was going to be reliant upon insurers having a local presence – and because a number of local companies got into severe financial difficulties during the crash, it was felt that the last thing Dubai needed was a medical insurance company suffering the same fate and potentially taking the health of foreign nationals down with it!
Those in the know say that the plans are simply on hold – they have not been shelved permanently. And we’re pretty sure this is accurate – after all, Abu Dhabi has introduced compulsory health insurance and they have ‘got away with it.’ In addition, Dubai has long-term plans to become a centre for medical tourism, and it’s therefore seen as essential that they raise the standards in terms of the consistency of what they can offer. To do so they need to ease up on the state healthcare facilities and ‘encourage’ citizens to take responsibility for insuring their own health.
Therefore, the first item in our 10 things expats need to know about healthcare in Dubai list is this: -
1) Compulsory health insurance is highly likely to become a reality in Dubai in the medium-term.
2) In the meantime, if you’re legitimately working in the emirate you can apply for a health card from the Health Ministry which will give you access to the state system in the event of a medical emergency, and give you fairly low cost access to all general healthcare services. You can now apply online for a new card or to renew your card, which will be issued and valid for one year.
3) Most expatriates have private medical insurance already – this is simply because it allows them access to the ‘better’ private hospitals and clinics. Depending on your age and health, premiums start from as low as about £700 a year and go all the way up to over £5,000 for a young family with a premium level of insurance.
4) Some companies offer their staff discounted medical insurance, or access to a corporate scheme as part of their benefits package. This is a valuable benefit in kind.
5) Most British expatriates do not choose to have any inoculations before they travel to Dubai – however, advice differs depending on which source you seek advice from. We would strongly recommend you speak to your GP before travel to get the most up to date information about any potential jabs you should have before you travel. Whilst Dubai has eradicated the likes of malaria and measles, hepatitis is still potentially an issue for example – and you should always make sure the likes of your tetanus jab are up to date before you travel anywhere.
6) When it comes to drugs – prescription and narcotics – the laws in Dubai are extremely strict and punishment for an infringement extremely severe. Here’s what you need to know – some prescription or over the counter drugs that are deemed acceptable in most nations are banned substances in Dubai. Therefore you cannot err strongly enough on the side of caution before you travel. If there are drugs you have to take you can take the following course of action. Contact the Ministry of Health’s drug control department to check whether your prescribed and essential medicines are on their banned list - email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call +971 2 611 7240 or fax +971 2 632 7644. Note that up to 3 months’ supply of a prescription item can be brought into the country by a visitor and 12 months’ supply by a resident if the item is not on the banned list and you can produce a doctor’s letter or a copy of the original prescription to support your possession of the items. If in doubt, and you do not need the drugs do not take the risk, leave them at home. Many over the counter or prescription drugs in Dubai and expensive – so it can be cheaper to bring them from home if you are allowed to do so. Finally – possession of narcotics or drugs on the banned list will land you in prison for a long time. DON’T TAKE A RISK.
7) Health concerns in Dubai include the following – all sorts of ‘nasties’ including HIV/AIDS for those who use the services of a prostitute – respiratory problems because of the sand and dust, and issues arising from the extreme heat the emirate endures particularly during the summer. The latter can include everything from dehydration to heat stroke to sunburn – and care must be taken to acclimatise slowly to the sometimes extreme climate.
8) Costs for medical treatment differ depending on where you seek care – for example, if you head straight to a private medical facility your health card will not cover treatment costs. If you are privately insured you will find the state facilities unwilling to treat you unless in an emergency. As a result make a note of the private facilities in your immediate vicinity in case the need arises for you to seek care.
9) As stated, Dubai has a long-term goal to become an internationally acclaimed centre for medical tourism – as a result investment on the private side of health care is significant and ongoing. Expatriates can benefit from this if they can afford good private insurance.
10) Finally, speak to fellow expats, colleagues and neighbours to find out where the best doctors are for which condition/ailment. There is a wide choice across Dubai and the greater UAE, and personal recommendations are the best way to find the better medical service providers.
Here are a few websites which you may find useful if you need to find a hospital, doctor or medical service in Dubai. These are external websites and so we’re sorry but we cannot be responsible for the accuracy of the information contained therein, however, we do hope you find them useful.
Wiki’s lists of hospitals in the UAE = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_the_United_Arab_Emirates
And Dubai = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hospitals_in_Dubai
Dubai Health Authority’s Website = http://www.dha.gov.ae/EN/Pages/default.aspx
Emirates Network Yellow Pages hospital listings = http://yp.theemiratesnetwork.com/browse/hospitals_and_medical_centers/united_arab_emirates/-/all/
Finally, we previously covered getting a health card in Dubai in the following article - http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/more/getting-health-card-when-living-dubai-10183 - and you can use this information to assist you in your application.
