Expatriates living in Dubai may have been paying too much for private health care in Dubai according to recent government investigations.
According to the Dubai Health Authority, many expatriates living in Dubai have been scammed by their health care providers having been told that they suffer from illnesses they do not have, been prescribed treatments they don’t need and been kept in hospital longer than was necessary. A government investigation into private health care offerings in the emirati revealed that expatriates have paid thousands of dollars in unnecessary medical bills and that schemes and policies that are purposely designed to elicit maximum amounts of cash from ill expatriates have been rife throughout the private health care industry.
In order to protect unsuspecting expatriates and to prevent such fee manipulation practices, the Dubai government now plans to introduce a new regulator whose role will be to monitor private healthcare practices throughout the Emirate.
Disclosing the results of the investigation, Dubai Health Authority director Dr Haider Saeed al Yousuf explained the regulator will police all private medical facilities in the Emirate. “Doctors have made patients stay in hospital for longer than necessary,” he said.
“This applies to intensive care and private rooms. We must protect health insurers from this malpractice as private health care cover is mandatory for all expats in Dubai. Insurers and expats will welcome the proposal as the regulator will keep costs down for everyone and make cover more affordable.”
However, the authorities in Dubai are keen to stress that other countries are to blame for the unscrupulous practices that have been observed in Dubai. According to Dr al Yousuf, fraudulent private health care claims are common throughout the world and these have entailed that providers have been forced to increase their premiums. He admitted that his department are uncovering fraudulent private medical health care claims on a daily basis.
Are you considering moving to Dubai? Make sure you have expert advice on health care practices and provisions by downloading a copy of our guide to living in Dubai. Written by expats, for expats, the guide provides you with insider knowledge and information about the type of health care coverage you need and provides useful tips on avoiding common scams.
