Health Services in Dubai: An Expat's Guide

As an expat in Dubai you will have access to the national public health system, which provides free or low cost health services and medical treatment. Being newly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) you may be wondering how to get medical treatment, where you go for health services and what types of fees can you expect if any at all.

If you are in a major city or town when you need to seek out medical services you should be able to find at least one modern hospital as well as some other facilities that have trained staff and state of the art medical equipment. It goes without saying that you can expect the medical facilities in the older and poorer sections of town to have older facilities. Regardless of this fact you can still get decent service at these older facilities. You can find the location of a hospital by looking in the phone book or in a tourist pamphlet or guide book. If you are living in the area and know some locals that you can ask, it is a good idea to seek recommendations of the best facility to seek treatment at.

Hospitals in Dubai can be public hospitals, private hospitals or military hospitals. Some private hospitals are so luxurious that they resemble five star hotels. Luxury does come with its very own expensive price tag though. While private hospitals do have outpatient facilities and emergency room facilities, potential casualties such as from car accidents are typically taken to public hospitals.

If you are told to go to a clinic in Dubai you should know that the word 'clinic' refers to a general practitioner's surgery practice.