Jelf Employee Benefits warns that seeking medical treatment abroad must be considered very carefully, in light of reports that UAE residents and expats are going abroad for treatment because of unsatisfactory care.
According to a survey reported in Abu Dhabi’s newspaper The National, areas of dissatisfaction reported include the long waiting time to get a doctor’s opinion, lack of specialist care and communication problems.
Jelf Employee Benefits warns that terms and conditions of specific policies must be checked in detail before considering treatment abroad. Individuals must check that the medical treatment they want is covered in the region where they want to be treated. They must also check they will have access to the facilities they will need, such as a full range of clinical expertise and doctors that speak their language.
David Williams, international business manager for Jelf Employee Benefits says: ‘In the first instance, we would advise expats to be on a comprehensive plan which will cover all the treatment they need. If they don’t have full cover in place and feel forced to go abroad for treatment, they need to be sure their policy will cover them in that region. It is paramount that individuals considering going abroad for treatment do their homework first and are confident in the medical and clinical facilities.’
The company cautions individuals that choose to travel outside of their region for medical treatment to remember that these travel costs will not be covered by the insurer and will have to be self-funded, an extra cost that can often be overlooked.
Jelf Employee Benefits says that as treatment in the UAE is expensive and costs are increasing there are some groups that are particularly vulnerable: expats without a comprehensive policy may feel forced to choose cheaper hospitals and this can mean longer waiting times, so this group may decide to go abroad for treatment
Similarly, local nationals or migrant workers on a local domestic plan – without the overall level of benefit of an international policy – may look to use cheaper hospitals or go abroad for expensive treatments that would otherwise use up their allowances very quickly.
David Williams continued: ‘We’ve all heard stories of poor treatment and problems with follow-up care when individuals go abroad for medical treatment to save costs or beat waiting times: it isn’t always the panacea that it might appear. We want individuals to make informed decisions if considering going abroad for treatment.’
