Standanista

Hi folks. I'm looking at a job in Doha and the company advise that they don't include health insurance in the package. I have a few questions please:

- Are they being cheapskate or is this usual? It's a job around the QAR 60k per month mark basic.

- Is private health insurance really necessary or is there adequate state care?

- If yes to needing it, does anybody know what I should be expecting to pay as a 48 year old single bloke in general good health?

Many thanks.

Johnnyboy11

Usually western employers will offer healthcare as standard. Local employers, including Government agencies, usually not. QAR 60k is a good all-in package, even better I you get allowances on top, but it all depends on your job, qualifications, experience and the demand for your skills.

Local healthcare for residents is free through Hamad Medical Corporation. Best ask your employer to register you as soon as you arrive, to save delays if you need to use the service. Standards are reasonably high, just walk in off the street to see a GP, and you can always get a flight back to the UK once fit to travel.

Whether or not you take out medical insurance is entirely up to you. I don't, but I do save the premiums I would otherwise have paid, for a rainy day.

Standanista

Many thanks Johnny.

primularossa

60 QAR per month is a very good salary. If they offer you also housing and some transport allowance, you will not spend much here. So if to get a private insurance is up to you. For basic needs the general medical care is enough and well organised. You have to go to the nearest health centre and apply for a health card once you have the residence permit. You might have to wait longer times for some specialistic visit, but in that case, if you really need it, you may go to some private hospital and pay.

Standanista

Great info, thanks primula/johnny

Meow

If you don't arrange cover, don't assume you can just return to the UK and get free treatment. Non-residents are not entitled to free UK healthcare except for emergencies.

How costs are applied are at the discretion of the specific Healthcare Trust but it is not an automatic right once you are deemed UK non-resident, no matter how long you were previously in the UK or how much tax you paid.

One claim, one semi-serious medical condition, is all it takes to wipe out all savings as private treatment, both in the UK and in the GCC, is expensive.

amy77

The public health care system in Qatar is brilliant. Similar to back home, the public health system here has the best doctors and the the best care in the event of something really serious happening to you.

The downsides of this are the waiting lists, and sometimes the bureaucratic hassle, and private cover does come in handy for getting the more routine stuff seen to quickly and with minimal hassle (e.g. my kids' vaccinations).

But if you really did need some top notch medical care, e.g. in an emergency, if you had a complicated pregnancy, or something awful like cancer, God forbid, you would end up going through the public system anyway.

So I really wouldn't be too bothered about not having private medical cover. It's a nice to have, but definitely not an essential.