advise on healthcare in qatar
 

Hi,
I've decided its time for me to ask some important questions to settle my mind as its a big change in life if we do move out to the middle east!!
I'm crespo's girlfriend leanne, and as you are already aware from his previous threads that i am pregnant and expecting this year, I'm slightly worried about the type of health care they have out there and what the maternity hospitals are like. As i'm a first time mum the last thing i want is to be having my baby in a strange country where hardly any of the nurses speak english, having a baby in our hospitals over here is daunting enough and i dont want people taking my baby away from me when i dont know what the hell they are going to be doing or if they have a different way of doing things.

Re: advise on healthcare in qatar
 

All the nurses do speak English, in my experience, and the standard of health care is pretty good. Qatarliving.com or Expatwomen.com may have more specific answers.

Re: advise on healthcare in qatar
 

as Jimmy says try Qatarliving and EW. I am in Dubai and had my daughter here in a Government Hospital, yes they are a bit behind but when it comes down to the nitty gritty they are fine. They have been delivering babies here for hundreds of years as well, Britain doesn't have the monopoly :) Don't forget to get married before this all happens!!

Re: advise on healthcare in qatar
 

private hospital like al ahli are most preferred by western expatriate. Just make sure you have the insurance to cover the cost.

The government hospital Hamad also very good, but husband not allow to be present during delivery.

The hospital staffs usually either Indian or Filipino , and they always speak good English.

Re: advise on healthcare in qatar
 

I don't know of any Insurance Companies that will cover someone in this situation, maybe Meow will know of one. Coverage normally has to be in place for a year prior to the pregnancy.

Re: advise on healthcare in qatar
 

If she has a Qatar government health card, which you get automatically with the residence permit, there should be no problem getting care at Hamad - the government hospital.

Re: advise on healthcare in qatar
 

I had a baby here and know lots of expat ladies here who have chosen to give birth in Qatar. It's not quite as forward-thinking as the UK when it comes to it (you won't get a home-birth or a water-birth here) but they can give you a good hospital birth with perfectly good medical care. Finding the right hospital and right doctor for you is half the job. And remember that there are no guarantees of the perfect delivery back in the UK. I would say that my delivery here was better than my experience in my local NHS hospital back home.

It's worth finding out what kind of medical coverage you will get (if any) with the job. The Hamad would not be my first choice for giving birth for a few reasons but mainly for the fact that you are not allowed to have anyone with you apart from the medical staff while you're giving birth.

Feel free to ask any other questions you may have too.