Poorer sections of the cities have older facilities, which nevertheless offer acceptable services. Hospitals are listed in telephone directories and the yellow pages, and addresses can be found in tourist publications. When choosing a hospital, your best bet is to seek recommendations from colleagues and friends.
There are several different types of hospital, including public and private hospitals and military establishments. Some hospitals in the private sector are luxuriously appointed and could easily pass as five-star hotel accommodation. Their prices are at a similar level, which is why it’s important to have private insurance.
Most of Dubai’s private hospitals have an out-patients’ department and an accident and emergency unit, although casualties are likely to be directed towards public hospitals by the emergency services, e.g. in the case of road accidents. This should not worry you, as public hospitals, managed by the DHA (Dubai Health Authority), are in good conditions.
The term ‘clinic’ is used to denote a general practitioner’s surgery.There’s little overcrowding in hospitals and clinics in Dubai, where hospitals and major clinics are open 24 hours a day and usually operate on a first come, first served basis. Arabic and English are widely spoken, English being frequently used in private hospitals, where many staff and most patients are foreign. Accommodation in private hospitals is generally in single rooms rather than wards, and parents can stay with their children. Facilities usually include such ‘luxuries’ as a television and radio in every room, a cafeteria, a mosque or prayer room and a library. Costs for accommodation vary considerably, according to whether a hospital is super-luxurious (i.e. with a large mosque and library) or more modest (i.e. with small ones). Treatment costs usually vary according to the standard of accommodation.
There are plenty of state and private hospitals in the country, offering excellent facilities and treatment, as well as additional health centres.
The southern part of Dubai is “under-serviced” with good facilities, for which a new project to build a new hospital was launched early in 2015 and is planned to be completed by 2018. The growth of Dubai both locally and for expats has urged private investors and the government to increase health facilities.
Current facilities include The American Hospital and Dubai London Clinic (Tel. 971-4-3446663). Note that The American Hospital is a luxurious hospital, but treatment is expensive and it experienced an unexpectedly high level of staff turnover shortly after opening.
For the latest news on hospitals and clinics in Dubai, visit our website on expatriate healthcare at: http://www.expathealth.org .