Health Care for Expats in the UAE

In a previous article, we discussed the healthcare system in Egypt and its private sector, in this article we will discuss the same general topics for the United Arab Emirates. This is an especially important topic for the many fintech/DeFi founders and professionals who are or will be considering relocation to the UAE with their families. What quality of care can you expect if your family is expecting a little one?

The UAE does not have the ancient history of medicine to the Pharaohs or the coastal health spas and scenery of Egypt. Its relatively new history as a country and its small size could simply not permit a fair comparison. But one thing is certain: the Emirates outperforms Egypt in healthcare quality, and many affluent Egyptians travel to the UAE for medical treatment. After all, the UAE has some of the richest cities on the planet in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with hospitals and surgical centers that reflect this fact.

Photo credit above: Doctor on UAE flag background. 3d illustration stock photo

Uploaded to iStock by Rawf8 August 2018

The UAE became an independent country in 1971, before that year, it was simply separate local emirates and a series of British colonized coastal trading posts. But each emirate also had their own medical history, even if it was small and highly localized.

Herbal remedies and traditional Arabian folk medicine were the most common sorts of medicine in what is the UAE today, with modern healthcare only making broad inroads in the 1950s after the discovery of oil that brought investment. The first modern hospital on the territory of the future Emirates was established by a Christian missionary in 1960.

Photo credit: Architecture of the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is one of the largest medical centers in the middle east with 364 bed facility.

Uploaded to iStock by Patryk_Kosmider March 2022

After its founding, one of the first goals of the unified Emirati state was the establishment of a public healthcare system. From then on, healthcare was provided to all UAE citizens free of charge. With more oil revenue came more dollars for health care, and with more money came more and better healthcare facilities and the foreign doctors to set up medical schools. New clinics were opened, which allowed for a skilled medical workforce to be raised from the Emirati population.

Health insurance was then made mandatory for all foreigners, not immediately in all the Emirates though. First it was for all foreigners residing in Abu Dhabi in 2006, and then for Dubai in 2014, ensuring no discrimination and a broader access to the healthcare services--even for the poorest migrant workers from South Asia.

With no lack of funds, quality, or efforts, the UAE became in a few decades the top hotspot for healthcare services in the entire Middle East. Today the UAE is a hub for medical tourism with patients traveling from the whole of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, with world renowned facilities and medical faculties.

The Dubai Health Authority is responsible for all medical care in the city of Dubai through the government Ministry of Health and Prevention, although as an expat you are generally expected to use private hospitals and clinics, there are international names operating all across of Dubai, such as Mediclinic (which has facilities in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ayn) and NMC Healthcare (which also operates across the border in Oman).

As noted earlier, expats having healthcare is mandatory in Dubai since 2014, if you are employed, your employer must provide you with a basic health plan with annual caps on your excess

Government healthcare facilities are provided free for the citizens, but you – as an expat – are expected to purchase annual healthcare cards in order to access it, of course not needed in case of serious health emergencies, but anything besides that – you need a healthcare card, you could still access it, but they would be extremely expensive.

The Essential Benefits that are required by law to be included in a basic healthcare plan by your employer include:

Inpatient and daycare treatment

Outpatient care like GP visits

Diagnostics like x-rays, blood tests

Urgent emergency care

Medications on an approved list

Pre-existing conditions after a waiting period

Maternity services

A typical private health insurance in Dubai should cover you the following as well.

Doctor visits, specialists, lab tests

Hospitalization

Prescriptions, vaccines, medical appliances

Emergency services

Maternity care, new-born needs

Dental cleaning, fillings

Medical evacuation services

Considering Dubai is quite the hotspot, there are many firms offering insurance, such as Cigna Global or Allianz Care.

There are also not so many health hazards in the Emirates compared to Egypt, especially when it comes to water sanitation-related ailments for foreigners. The lower hospital crowding with higher quality of healthcare has ensured a healthier environment for the Emiratis compared to Egyptians.

If you require a GP who speaks English, the Directory in Dubai offers a full list of medical professionals. Private insurers also have similar directories, and the Dubai Health Authority website gives you a full list of licensed medical facilities and physicians.

Known hospitals in Dubai include Mediclinic City Hospital, Al Zahra Hospital, and the likes, with international pharmacy brands being common in the city as well. There are also walk-in clinics, such as Medcare in Dubai and Sharjah – the local emergency number for ambulances (instead of 911 in the USA) is 998.

Photo credit above: Facade of the Iranian Hospital in Dubai, which is affiliated with the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

Uploaded to iStock by AndreaAstes April 2020

Unlike Egypt, pharmacies do not suffer shortages of major European medicines, but what prescriptions you can obtain are more regulated. Some medicines particularly psychiatric or anti-anxiety medications may require prior approval from the Ministry of Health in addition to your doctor's prescription.

There is no lack of wellness and spa centers, and the spa centers will be more numerous and of a higher quality than the ones in my native Egypt. There are also wellness resorts by the Persian (Arabian) Gulf and in the desert oasis city of Al Ayn, which offer common spa treatments (massage, mud skin therapies, and the like).

You simply cannot miss with the world-renowned healthcare in the UAE. It is the best available to foreigners in the Middle East.