Abu Dhabi is one of the best places in the Middle East to be if you need health care.
Substantial government investment has enabled the UAE to make major progress in health care and today Abu Dhabi’s healthcare system consists of an extensive network of hospitals, clinics and medical facilities throughout the emirate that ranks among the best in the region – and indeed the world.
The Government finances the majority of health care costs for native-born Emiratis and UAE citizens via a comprehensive health service that is largely free. There is also an extensive and fast-developing private health sector that provides options for citizens and good-quality services for residents and visitors who do not qualify for the free service.
In 2007, the government-owned health care facilities in Abu Dhabi were restructured into two separate bodies. Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD) is responsible for regulating the healthcare industry and developing Abu Dhabi’s health policy; the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, SEHA, is responsible for actually managing the state-owned healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi – including around 60 Primary Health Care Centres, a dozen hospitals, and several specialised facilities.
HAAD is also responsible for certification of health professionals and the clinics, hospitals and pharmacies where they work.
Since January 2006 all residents of Abu Dhabi have been covered by a comprehensive health insurance programme with costs shared between employers and employees – indeed, it is a requirement that employers arrange health insurance for staff and their families.
The system works through a membership card which can be presented at participating clinics, hospitals, pharmacies and other facilities to obtain services (usually free, if the consultation and treatment falls under the areas covered by the insurance) and prescription medicines (usually discounted). As the qualifications indicate, it’s important to check exactly what is and isn’t covered before you commit to a particular treatment – otherwise it could be expensive.
For citizens:
An increased emphasis on the provision of primary health care throughout the country has led to a consistent increase in the number of primary health care centres. The focus of primary health care centres is on maternal and child welfare, school health and health education, but all provide a range of general medical and health services.
The Abu Dhabi Government provides full medical coverage for all UAE Nationals living in Abu Dhabi. In cooperation with the National Health Insurance Company (Daman), the government runs a UAE national insurance scheme called Thiqa ("trust") which is open to Nationals living in Abu Dhabi who are between 18 and 75 years of age. All members have to undergo a preliminary screening by HAAD in order to identify cardiovascular risk factors.
More than 500,000 UAE Nationals have enrolled in the Thiqa programme, and they can use healthcare services from more than 1,600 medical providers – including public and private healthcare facilities – that are part of Daman's network. There will be no charge as long as they present their Thiqa cards.
For visitors and non-nationals:
Visitors to Abu Dhabi can be assured of top-quality healthcare; and for emergencies, visitors will be treated at public hospitals at no charge. Non-emergency medical services provided in public hospitals and clinics must be paid for, however, and of course private facilities charge for all medical services provided.
Treatment in a private hospital or clinic can be very expensive. Visitors are therefore advised to purchase health as well as travel insurance in their home countries before travelling.
Health certificates are not required of visitors to Abu Dhabi, except for those visitors arriving from areas with cholera or yellow fever infections. No special immunisations are required, but visitors are advised to take sensible precautions when travelling from health-risk areas. In particular, it makes sense to check the World Health Organisation website at http://tinyurl.com/25ng94p before your trip for updates on any immunisations that may be required.
It is also important to note that some prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines available in other countries are illegal in the United Arab Emirates. Codeine, for example, is banned in the UAE and no products containing codeine can be imported or sold in the country. Such medication is not allowed into the UAE without prior permission from the UAE Ministry of Health.
It is advisable to carry a physician’s prescription for any medication you may require during your stay in the emirate as well as a medical report if you need to travel with syringes or other medical equipment. A traveller arriving in the UAE without prior approval and the required documentation might find that the medication will be confiscated – and in extreme cases the individual may be subject to prosecution under the laws of the UAE.
The UAE Health Ministry's guidelines do state that individuals may bring medicine into the country for their personal use – up to three months’ supply of a prescription item in the case of a visitor and 12 months’ supply for someone holding a UAE residency visa (the allowance drops to 30 days for medicines defined as narcotic, psychotropic or otherwise controlled in the UAE).
In all cases the traveller should be able to produce a doctor's letter or a copy of the original prescription. For controlled medicines you will also need an authenticated certificate or permit from the health authorities in your country confirming your legal authority to possess the relevant preparations for personal use only.
Because of the potential for inadvertent mistakes, visitors are advised to check with the Customer Service Centre of the Ministry of Health’s Drug Control Department (DCD) to verify whether a particular medication is on the controlled list. The DCD can be contacted by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , by telephone on +971 2 611 7240 or by fax at +971 2 632 7644. There is also a toll-free number for the general call centre: 800 1111.
If the traveller needs to obtain more prescription medicines during a visit, they will find that most are readily available at pharmacies in the emirate. It’s recommended that the doctor states generic as well as trade names for the medication on the prescription, in case the specific brand isn’t available locally.
SEHA
Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) is an independent public joint stock company founded to manage the curative activities of the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. SEHA says its mission is “to transform the healthcare landscape of Abu Dhabi” in a socially responsible and cost-effective way. “We will measure our achievement by benchmarking ourselves against international standards and by measuring our effectiveness in improving the accessibility, affordability, choice, and satisfaction of our patients.”
Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD)
HAAD is the regulatory body of the healthcare sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Its role includes defining the Emirate’s strategy for its healthcare system, overseeing the performance of the system, and monitoring and analysing the health status of the population.
In addition HAAD shapes the regulatory framework for the health system, inspects against regulations, enforce standards, and encourages adoption of world-class best practices and performance targets by all healthcare service providers in the Emirate. The professional development work of HAAD has included co-hosting the First International Abu Dhabi Diabetes Congress in March 2010.
HAAD also drives programs to increase awareness and adoption of healthy living standards among the residents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. An innovation this year was the launch of the newborn screening programme, targeting genetic, endocrinological, metabolic and hematologic diseases; this ensures that every baby born in the Emirate has access to comprehensive screening and detection of inherited and hormonal disorders within the first days of life. The aim of course is to improve health outcomes through early treatment, management and proper counselling.
HAAD’s regulatory powers include disciplinary action against medical facilities and professionals for violating rules and regulations of the healthcare system in the Emirate. In 2010, for instance, these decisions have included closing down two pharmacies for one month, withdrawing licences from two pharmacists, and suspending another pharmacist for one month. The case concerned exchanging and buying counterfeit medicine; HAAD also issued warnings to various healthcare facilities and allowed a two month period for other facilities to comply with the health system requirements.
HAAD also confiscated and destroyed all the medicines in a pharmacy due to power outages that violated medicine storage standards.
This year has also seen HAAD’s Audit Section at work on insurance violation cases, including suspected fraud, forgery and abuse. A number of these have been referred to prosecutors, others have been fined.
Other useful HAAD services include operation of the Abu Dhabi Electronic Physician Directory, introduced early in 2010 to improve public access by providing periodically updated information on licensed physicians in the Emirate. The website at www.haad.ae/ADPD allows the user to search for physicians by medical topic, health issue, or speciality; or by direct search through geographical location, doctor’s name, or the health facility at which they work.
Comments and complaints
The Customer Care Section of HAAD receives all complaints and suggestions regarding the health system in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This service can provide general information about the healthcare system in Abu Dhabi but also aims at giving an opportunity for patients or their relatives to express their dissatisfaction with any health service, including the health insurance system and comments about government and private hospitals. You can contact the service in four ways:
- Toll free number – 800 555
- E-mail – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
- Written complaints – HAAD, PO Box 5674, Abu Dhabi
- In person – HAAD headquarters is off Airport Road, near Carrefour and behind Al Futtaim Motors
Abu Dhabi’s health at a glance
Population
- Total: 1.9m residents, 21 percent of them UAE Nationals
- Median age: 19 for Nationals, 30 for expatriates
- Last year: 29,068 births and 2,988 deaths
- Life expectancy: 74.4 years for men, 74.8 for women
- 5,142 doctors, 8,142 nurses and 5,630 allied health professionals
- 1,077 licensed facilities:
- 39 hospitals (3,621 beds in total)
- 572 health centres and clinics
- 467 pharmacies and stores
- 11.6 million patient encounters
- 2 percent in-patient (179,948)
- 42 percent by Nationals
- 43 percent by hospitals Insurance
- 33 licensed insurers competing for members
- 2.2 million insurance contracts
- 9.1 million claims processed [ends box] [boxout] Licensed physicians and dentists.
There are three types of licence for doctors in private-sector medicine (including Dentistry) in the Emirate:
General Practitioner
Requires an accredited and recognized medical qualification from the holder’s own country, a current licence to practice their, and a minimum of two years’ experience.
Specialist
As for a General Practitioner, plus a specialization certificate obtained after completing a fulltime course of not less than two years’ duration for Dentists and three years for Physicians; and at least three years’ post-certification experience.
Consultant
As for a Specialist, plus not less than eight years’ post-certification experience (including at least three as a Consultant). A current and valid license to practice as a registered Specialist Physician in the home country is also required.
