Getting medical care in the UAE comes down to one rule: insurance first, hospital second. The UAE has no universal public scheme for foreign residents like China’s basic medical insurance. Expats rely mainly on private health insurance bought by their employer. As of October 2026, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the five northern emirates all require private-sector employers to insure their staff, and without a policy an employee’s residence visa cannot be issued or renewed. Most PRC citizens arriving on a work visa receive an insurance card when they start their job and then pay only a share of the bill at clinics and hospitals inside the insurer’s network.
Hospitals in the big cities, public and private, are generally modern, staffed by doctors from all over the world, and English and Arabic are the main languages of care. Compared with China, three things differ most: each emirate has its own regulator and insurance rules; patients usually see a GP or outpatient doctor first and are referred onwards; and the emergency numbers are 998 (ambulance) and 999 (police), not 120 and 110.
How the UAE healthcare system works
The UAE is a federation of seven emirates, and healthcare regulation is split between them:
- Dubai: the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) regulates healthcare facilities and health insurance. Public hospitals are run by Dubai Health, the brand in use since November 2023, which operates six hospitals, including Rashid Hospital and Dubai Hospital, and 26 ambulatory health centres.
- Abu Dhabi (including Al Ain and Al Dhafra): regulated by the Department of Health (DoH). Public hospitals are run by SEHA (Abu Dhabi Health Services Company), including Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain Hospital and Corniche Hospital. UAE nationals are covered by the government-funded Thiqa programme; foreign residents must have private insurance.
- Northern emirates (Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah): regulated by the federal Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), with federal public facilities run by Emirates Health Services (EHS), which lists 17 hospitals and 70 primary healthcare centres.
Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC) is a free zone concentrating private providers. One principle: the insurance rules of the emirate that issued your residence visa apply to you.
| Area | Regulator | Public hospital operator | Insurance rule for expat employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai | DHA | Dubai Health | Mandatory since 2014; employer insures the employee, sponsor insures dependants |
| Abu Dhabi | DoH | SEHA | Mandatory; employer insures employee and family (one spouse, three children under 18) |
| Five northern emirates | MOHAP | EHS | Mandatory from 1 January 2025; employer buys the basic package or better |
Mandatory insurance: nationwide for the private sector since 2025
Under the scheme published by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE), from 1 January 2025 all private-sector employees and domestic workers in the UAE must have basic health insurance. Employers must buy the policy before applying for or renewing a residence permit and pay its full cost. Workers who already held a valid work permit before the rule come under it when their permit is renewed. As of October 2026 the scheme is in force; Gulf News reported in January 2026 that the number of providers offering the basic package had risen to 380, and that MOHRE completed an impact assessment in December 2025 and opened a public consultation on improvements.
Key points of the basic package (as of October 2026):
- Premium AED 320 a year (about ¥584); the policy runs for two years and covers ages 1 to 64, with people over 64 submitting a medical disclosure and recent reports. If the visa is cancelled in the first year, the second-year premium is refundable.
- No waiting period for chronic or pre-existing conditions; telehealth consultations by video or phone are included.
- Inpatient co-payment 20%, capped at AED 500 per visit and AED 1,000 per year; outpatient co-payment 25%, capped at AED 100 per visit, with no co-payment for a follow-up on the same condition within 7 days; medicines 30%, capped at AED 1,500 per year.
- Pregnancy, childbirth and dental care are not covered, which matters for families planning to have a baby in the UAE: they need a higher-tier policy.
Dependants can get the same benefits and price under the policy. In Dubai, however, if your employer insures only you, you must insure the spouse, children or parents you sponsor yourself, or their residence visas cannot be issued.
Dubai’s Essential Benefits Plan and Abu Dhabi’s Basic Plan
Dubai’s legal minimum is the Essential Benefits Plan (EBP), aimed mainly at lower-income employees. Under DHA circular GC 03/2024, the EBP from 1 January 2025 provides:
- An annual aggregate limit of AED 150,000 (about ¥274,000), including co-payments;
- 20% co-payment on most outpatient care (GP, specialist, lab, imaging), with no co-payment for follow-ups within 7 days;
- 20% co-payment on non-emergency inpatient care, capped at AED 500 per admission and AED 1,000 a year;
- 30% co-payment on medicines, with an annual drug limit of AED 2,500 (about ¥4,564);
- Maternity cover: 8 antenatal visits and 3 ultrasound scans at 10% co-payment, up to AED 10,000 (about ¥18,000) per delivery, and newborns covered for 30 days from birth;
- For a person’s first UAE insurance scheme, chronic and pre-existing conditions may be excluded for up to 6 months.
Gulf News reports that EBP premiums are typically around AED 550–650 a year (about ¥1,000–1,190); actual quotes vary. In Abu Dhabi, the state-owned insurer Daman and others offer the Basic Plan; Daman’s rates effective 20 February 2026 vary by category and age, with the 18–40 band ranging from AED 750 to AED 2,835 (excluding VAT) and much higher rates above 60.
When you sign your contract, ask: is the policy an EBP/Basic Plan or an enhanced plan? Which hospitals are in the network? Are dependants included? Are maternity and dental covered? The answers decide how easy it is to see a doctor and how much you pay. For more on choosing cover, see our UAE insurance guide.
What healthcare costs, compared with China
Healthcare in the UAE is far more expensive than in China. World Bank data show current health expenditure of US$2,401.52 per person in the UAE in 2023, about AED 8,820 at the fixed peg of 3.6725 dirhams to the dollar, or roughly ¥16,000. China’s National Health Commission (2025 statistical bulletin) reports total health spending of ¥6,637.9 per person, an average outpatient visit cost of ¥357.7, an average inpatient stay of ¥9,768.9, and out-of-pocket spending at 27.1% of the total.
Without insurance, a private specialist visit plus tests often costs several times what it would in China; with insurance, the basic package caps outpatient co-payments at AED 100 (about ¥183) per visit, as long as you stay inside the network. For overall living costs, see cost of living in the UAE.
Public or private hospital?
Public hospitals
- Strong in emergency, trauma and intensive care, e.g. Rashid Hospital in Dubai and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi
- Accept most insurance; EHS has announced that its facilities accept insurance
- Complex cases and specialist resources are concentrated here
Private hospitals and clinics
- Many locations, fast appointments, comfortable settings, often open evenings and weekends
- Most expat insurance networks are built mainly on private providers
- Expensive; basic policies often cover only some private facilities, and out-of-network care is paid in full
In practice, check your insurer’s list of network providers: a nearby clinic for minor illnesses, a large hospital for surgery and admissions.
How to see a doctor in the UAE
- Check your insuranceGet your physical or digital card and confirm the network, co-payments and pre-approval rules
- Choose a providerFind a network clinic or hospital in your insurer’s app; public hospitals can be booked through the Dubai Health, SEHA or EHS apps and websites
- RegisterShow your Emirates ID and insurance card; keep your passport handy
- ConsultationSee a GP or the relevant department; the doctor orders tests or writes a prescription
- Pre-approvalAdmissions, surgery and some imaging usually need prior approval from the insurer, which the hospital requests
- Pay your sharePay the co-payment at reception or the pharmacy and keep receipts for claims
A residence visa also requires a medical fitness test at a designated centre in the UAE; see our medical check-up guide. Bring copies of your Chinese medical records.
Pharmacies and bringing medicines
Pharmacies are everywhere in the UAE, in malls and near residential areas, and some are open 24 hours. Ordinary over-the-counter medicines can be bought directly; prescription medicines need a prescription from a local doctor, and with insurance you pay the co-payment at a network pharmacy.
The UAE strictly controls certain medicines. Drugs containing narcotic or psychotropic ingredients (some painkillers, sleeping pills, codeine cough syrups and others) require a personal-use import permit from MOHAP in advance, or must be declared on arrival, with a prescription issued within the last three months and a medical report from within the last year, and no more than a three-month supply. The permit is free (Gulf News, August 2025). Check the ingredients with your doctor before packing medicines from China.
Chinese-speaking doctors and TCM clinics
There is no official register of Chinese-speaking doctors in the UAE, but Dubai and Abu Dhabi have sizeable Chinese communities and some private clinics have Mandarin-speaking doctors or staff. A notable example is Beijing Tong Ren Tang: in October 2011 Dubai Healthcare City announced the opening of the region’s first Tong Ren Tang traditional Chinese medicine clinic, with doctors and pharmacists holding both Chinese and UAE licences. Note that TCM and acupuncture fall under separately licensed traditional, complementary and alternative medicine in the UAE and are usually not covered by basic insurance.
Practical tips: check the “languages” field on doctor profiles in your insurer’s app, ask HR or local Chinese business associations, or bring an English-speaking friend or ask the hospital about interpreters.
Emergency numbers and urgent care
According to the UAE government portal u.ae, the nationwide emergency numbers are: ambulance 998, police 999, fire (Civil Defence) 997, coastguard 996, search and rescue 995 and electricity failure 991. You can go straight to the emergency department of any public or private hospital. PRC citizens facing a serious incident abroad can also call the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s global consular protection hotline at +86-10-12308. For a comparison with another Asian destination, see healthcare in Singapore, and for an overview of the country, see our UAE guide.
FAQ
I’m not employed and live in the UAE on another visa. Do I need insurance?
In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, every residence visa holder must have health insurance, and the sponsor insures dependants. Freelancers, investors and similar visa holders usually have to buy a policy that meets local standards themselves.
Can I use the basic package anywhere in the country?
MOHRE’s basic package is used within its designated national network, which had about 380 providers in early 2026; Dubai’s EBP network must give access near where you live and work in Dubai. Check the network before seeking care in another emirate.
Is childbirth covered?
The national basic package excludes pregnancy and childbirth; Dubai’s EBP includes antenatal care and delivery (up to AED 10,000 per delivery). Families planning a baby should choose a policy with maternity cover early and check waiting periods.
Sources
- MOHRE – Health Insurance Scheme (Basic Health Insurance Package) (accessed October 2026)
- u.ae – Getting a health insurance (accessed October 2026)
- u.ae – Healthcare providers (accessed October 2026)
- u.ae – Handling emergencies (accessed October 2026)
- Dubai Health Authority circular GC 03/2024 – Essential Benefits Plan (copy hosted by APRIL International) (accessed October 2026)
- Daman – Abu Dhabi Basic Plan Premium Rate (effective 20 Feb 2026) (accessed October 2026)
- Al Jalila Foundation – About Dubai Health (accessed October 2026)
- SEHA – Our hospitals (accessed October 2026)
- Emirates Health Services – EHS in numbers (accessed October 2026)
- Dubai Healthcare City – Beijing TongRenTang clinic inaugurated (2011) (accessed October 2026)
- World Bank – Physicians per 1,000 people, UAE (SH.MED.PHYS.ZS) (accessed October 2026)
- World Bank – Current health expenditure per capita, UAE (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD) (accessed October 2026)
- Central Bank of the UAE – Exchange rates, September 2026 (accessed October 2026)
- Gulf News – UAE expands Dh320 health insurance to 380 providers (Jan 2026, media) (accessed October 2026)
- Gulf News – Emirates Health Services now accepts insurance across all UAE facilities (media) (accessed October 2026)
- Gulf News – Who is responsible for providing health insurance in the UAE? (Sep 2025, media) (accessed October 2026)
- Gulf News – How to bring prescription or controlled medicines into the UAE legally (Aug 2025, media) (accessed October 2026)
