Dubai healthcare for expats in 2024

The healthcare system in the UAE is considered to be one of the best in the world. In total, there are 231 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants of the country. According to the official statistics, the country’s public healthcare sector has 45 hospitals, employing 8,322 doctors and 20,480 nurses. The private healthcare sector far exceeds the public one: there are 98 hospitals with a total of 14,785 doctors and 33,435 nurses. For reference, according to the World Bank, the UAE had a population of 9.991 million people as of 2021. In addition to the healthcare system for citizens, medical tourism is also well-developed in the UAE: people from other countries come to the Emirates looking for quality medical service.

The healthcare system structure in the United Arab Emirates is quite simple. All medical institutions in the country are under the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). Additionally, each emirate has local health authorities that control clinics and hospitals.

Healthcare in the UAE for citizens residing in Abu Dhabi is fully covered by health insurance under the Thiqa programme. With the card of this programme, you can get full access to a wide range of public and private clinics. Also, all UAE citizens aged from 18 to 75 undergo a special screening organised by the Abu Dhabi Health Department: the examination helps to identify the risks of cardiovascular diseases.

For foreign citizens, both tourists and expats, only emergency medical services are free. Note that emergency medical procedures are free of charge, but further treatment will be paid. In all other cases, when the ailment does not require emergency intervention, foreign citizens need to take out health insurance.

Healthcare Insurance in Dubai

Since 2014, all foreigners coming to the UAE are required to have health insurance, according to Health Insurance Law No. 11 of 2013. Foreigners without a valid insurance policy will not be able to enter the country. If the insurance period expired during your stay in the country, and you did not take out a new insurance, then fines are assigned for the delay.

For expats, insurance is paid by the employer or sponsor. Please note that not all emirates require the companies to take out insurance for family members of their employees. At the same time, the companies are responsible for insuring their employees, so you should not worry that at some point you will be left without health insurance, while working in the Emirates.

Expats, in turn, are responsible for insuring their family members. Sponsors and employers will not be subject to penalties for non-issuance or non-renewal of the health insurance policy in only three cases: unauthorised departure of employees from the country in violation of an agreement with the employer; illegal residence of employees; or the sponsor’s death.

The health insurance coverage is determined by various factors: the level of the employee’s salary, the purpose of the policy, and others. At the same time, the cost of medical services depends on the level of coverage.

Each emirate has different rules for insuring dependents — members of the employee’s family. In Abu Dhabi, for example, employers and sponsors are responsible for providing health insurance coverage for their employee, one spouse, and three children under the age of 18. In Dubai, employers must provide insurance only for their employee, and that employee, in turn, must take out a policy for dependent family members.

Dubai Healthcare Insurance Policy Cost

The health insurance coverage is strictly regulated: in each emirate, local health departments set their own Essential Benefits Plan (EBP). For reference, in Dubai, EBP is valid for those earning less than 4,000 dirhams per month, including dependents who cannot work at all.

For foreigners working in the Emirates under employment contracts or as home workers, most of the insurance cost is usually paid by their employers. Minimum employee’s payments under the EPB programme or the most affordable private programmes start from 650 dirhams (approx. 180 US dollars) per year. In some companies, employees must pay for their own health insurance policies in full, in which case the cost will be about 10,000 dirhams (2,720 US dollars) per year.

Along with public health insurance, expats in the UAE can take advantage of the services of private insurance companies. Most of them offer a choice of several types of insurance programmes catered to the needs of either one policyholder or the whole family:

• individual insurance programmes are suitable for both single-living expats and families who are interested in maximum insurance coverage;

• family insurance programmes are more cost-effective for a family of several people, including children or non-working adults, but the amount of coverage for each family member will be limited;

• joint insurance programmes are issued for a group of 20 people or more, which is useful for students, residents of start-up incubators or co-living neighbours. With joint insurance, you can get a greater coverage of medical services at a better cost than with an individual programme.

• insurance programmes for travellers who frequently visit the UAE can be either individual or joint. Such insurances have flexible rates, terms and coverage, helping frequent visitors to the UAE to access medical services without overpaying for them.

The cost of a private insurance policy in the UAE varies significantly depending on the type of employment, the holder’s age, and the medical services coverage. An individual insurance programme for an expat between the ages of 30 and 35 with a full package of medical services can cost about 5,500 dirhams (1,500 US dollars) per year.

After you have obtained a health insurance policy, you can seek medical care in both public and private clinics. Most often, expats choose private clinics, as they employ foreign doctors who speak English. However, under private health insurance, you can be served in public hospitals as well. To do this, you need to get a Dubai Health Authority card, commonly known as a health card.

Registration of Foreigners in the UAE Healthcare System

A foreigner can register in the UAE healthcare system on the Emirates Health Services website at any time. Only Emirates ID is needed for the procedure.

The whole process of getting a health card takes only 5 steps:

1. Sign up for digital services if you haven’t already.
2. Apply through the smart service in printing service centres or electronic service centres for individual users.
3. Pay the service fee.
4. Wait for your application to be reviewed by a health registry employee.
5. If your application is approved, you will be notified by SMS.

After the application is approved, you can start using the service. You will not be given a physical card, as it will be tied to your identity card. If your application is not approved, you can change it and resubmit it for another review.

The service fee for expats of all ages costs 500 dirhams. If you pay for the service with an e-Dirham card, the additional fee will be 3 dirhams. If you use Visa or MasterCard payment systems, the amount of additional fees will vary depending on bank commissions.

Note that Emirates ID must be valid at the time of applying for a health card.

The health card’s usage is limited to public hospitals under the control of the Emirates Health Services. The card can also be issued for children, making it possible to receive vaccines that are not covered by the insurance policy.

Private Healthcare in the UAE

The United Arab Emirates has a well-developed private healthcare system. There are even «health cities» — large medical complexes that occupy several blocks, where they provide a wide range of medical services. In Dubai, this is the Dubai Healthcare City free zone; in Abu Dhabi — the Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City; in Ajman — the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.

You can find the nearest clinic and a doctor of the desired specialty on the official government websites. You can also make an appointment with a doctor online.

• Find clinics and doctors in Dubai: Dubai Health Authority;
• Hospitals and private clinics in Dubai: Dubai Health Experience;
• Hospitals and doctors in Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Government;
• Vaccination centres in the UAE: Ministry of Health and Prevention;

On the Dubai Health Authority’s website, you can search for doctors by their specialty, place of work and knowledge of a foreign language.

If you wish to be able to communicate with your doctor in English or in any other language, then you can look for the contacts and addresses of clinics with such employees both on medical websites and on the Internet forums in your language.

Most foreign language speaking doctors of various specialties work in Dubai: general practitioners, specialised physicians and surgeons, dentists and paediatricians. Many local doctors have studied at foreign universities, so they can communicate with patients in different languages.

Ksenia Kolesnikova Tranio’s manager in Dubai

In addition, you can track your health profile and research results via the Internet. There are two services for this:

• Shefaa — Ministry of Health and Prevention
• e-Malaffi portal — Seha in Abu Dhabi

Before going to a private clinic, you need to find out if your insurance covers the treatment of your ailment. You can get this information from your insurance company. Then, after the treatment, you will need to provide a receipt for payment to the insurance company. After that the costs will be reimbursed.

Medicines and Chemists in the UAE

Every city in the UAE has local chemist shops working around the clock, while the rest of the chemists are open from Saturday to Thursday from 9:00 to 21:00. You can see the full list of chemists available in Abu Dhabi on this website, while the list of chemists in Dubai is given here.

Please note that not all medicines are sold freely in the United Arab Emirates. In addition, you should be careful when importing the medicines you own into the UAE as many of them can be illegal in the country. The list of prohibited drugs is available here.

In the UAE, contraceptives are openly sold to all; even unmarried women can purchase them. However, methods of abortion, including medical abortion drugs, are not available in the country.

Author: Tranio Editorial