I’ve been hit again. I caught a cold from my wife, seamlessly, of course. Now, I’m sitting here with a runny nose in Dokki, reflecting on our healthcare situation.
When I was fired, we lost our health insurance.
Unlike Germany, the healthcare system in the UAE is primarily a private insurance system. There are some initial steps towards a government-regulated system, and there’s a kind of mandatory insurance for blue-collar workers. But, frankly, I see that as a fig leaf, covering up a modern form of slavery that’s prevalent in wealthy Arab countries.
In my line of work, health insurance is a benefit provided by the hiring company.
You lose your job, you lose your insurance.
So you might ask: “Why you do not have health insurance now?”
Well, guess what happens when you try to enter a private health insurance system at the age of 60?
You’re right: you’ll be asked to pay a premium that’s beyond reasonable.
In our case, we were offered to continue our insurance for around USD 54,000 per year ($4,500 per month).
With that money, I can pay for a lot of doctor visits, labs, and medications in Dubai.
And in Egypt, it’s even more affordable.
It’s stunning and leaves me speechless when I compare prices for medications.
For my current cold, I got some Panadol Cold & Flu for 76 Egyptian Pound (LE) for 24 tablets.
Based on the current exchange rates, I paid
just USD $1.50 or EUR 1.40 for the locally produced medication.
Compare that to the prices in Germany.
For 24 tablets this is EUR 13.60 or LE 747 Egyptian Pound!
Almost 10 times the price for the tablets produced in Germany.
Even compared to the UAE, where the medication is imported from Spain, it’s much cheaper compared to Germany, at around AED 22 / EUR 5.53.
That is still ~ LE 300 Egyptian Pound.
But if you go to a Pharmacy such as El Ezaby to ensure that you get the imported medication (also from Spain), you will still pay the same LE 76, because the prices are fixed and regulated by the government.
Absolutely crazy.
Luckily, we have medical expertise in the family: My wife’s younger sister is a general practitioner (MD), and her youngest brother is a pharmacist.
Still, dental work and surgeries are a scary “what if.”
Knock on wood – we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Original language: English
Proof read by Gemini