Cancer and insurance in Dubai
As the third leading cause of death in the UAE, cancer continues to increase in prevalence in the region. As such, it’s important to know whether your current health insurance plan covers cancer treatment. In 2015, our partner UAE Medical Insurance wrote an article on cancer and insurance in Dubai. Since then, there have been a few changes regarding health insurance requirements in the Emirate, which is why we’ve created this updated article summary below.
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Cancer prevalence in the UAE and Dubai
A prevailing trend that continues to plague most developed countries including the UAE is their high rates of non-communicable diseases, partially attributed to longer average lifespans, increasingly sedentary lifestyles, as well as the widespread consumption of convenience foods. In the UAE, around 12 people are diagnosed with cancer every day, and 500 people die from cancer every year. Alarmingly, certain cancers are on the rise, including colon, cervical and prostate cancer. Equally alarming is the fact that women in the UAE get breast cancer roughly 10 years earlier than women in other countries. At present, the most common cancers in the region are breast, thyroid, colorectal, lung, and cervix cancer.
Cancer treatment in Dubai
In the past decade, Dubai has invested a significant amount of money into developing its healthcare sector. Today, as one of the most popular medical tourism hotspots in the world, the Emirate is home to a number of world-class facilities for medical care and research. In 2014, Dubai Healthcare City opened the Emirate’s first ever cancer hospital.
Cancer treatment is available at both government and private facilities across Dubai, however the cost of treatment can vary significantly depending on the type of therapy and facility chosen. On average, the cost of cancer treatment in Dubai is around Dh 23,000 per month, but immunotherapy, a new type of cancer treatment, costs around Dh 35,000 per session, and up to Dh 3.67 million a year! With these costs in mind, it’s clear to see why having comprehensive health insurance with high coverage limits is essential.
Is treatment for cancer covered by health insurance in Dubai?
To ensure that you have financial protection against the high cost of cancer in Dubai, it’s essential that you have a robust health insurance plan with coverage limits high enough to cover all or most of the cancer treatment costs. While even the most basic plans offered in Dubai will cover cancer treatment, please note that the minimum coverage limit requirement in the Emirate is only Dh 150,000, meaning those who undergo multiple costly treatments will easily exceed this limit.
If you have any more questions, feel free to contact the experienced advisors at Pacific Prime Dubai today.
When she's not typing away on her keyboard, she's reading poetry, fueling her insatiable wanderlust, getting her coffee fix, and perpetually browsing animal Instagram accounts.
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