Medical Care in Qatar

Hamad General Hospital

Can you get good quality medical care in Qatar?

I arrived in Qatar in late 2008 when it was estimated that the total population, Qataris and expatriates, was just touching 1 million. It was recently estimated in late 2013 that the population is now about 2 million.

If the numbers are to be believed, then, Qatar has seen an explosive 1 million population growth in a short five years. This is nothing short of amazing and it is obvious that the public infrastructure and amenities, including healthcare, to support this rapid growth must be creaking under the strain.

Medical care is one of the main concern of new and existing residents to this country. Many expatriates from developed countries coming here would expect a high level of medical care for themselves and family while the sheer numbers of expatriates from developing countries would also surely cause a heavy strain on basic healthcare services.

Health screening for all newcomers to Qatar

Most people coming to work and stay in Qatar are generally healthy. Anyone applying for resident permits in Qatar need to produce clean health certificates from their home country doctors and are subjected to further health screening in Qatar that include blood and urine tests, x-rays and medical examinations in a common in-processing medical centre upon their arrival into Qatar. I know of several cases of would-be residents having their resident permits denied because these health checks picked up existing or new ailments.

These two tier health checks effectively ensure everyone coming in are basically healthy. Residents who received their resident permits can then apply to Hamad Hospital for a public health care card which is issued free to all qualified residents. 

The Hamad health card ensure all residents can receive very low cost health treatment at Hamad hospitals and it's subsidiary clinics and polytechnics. The public healthcare in Qatar is good and very comprehensive and some of the very best doctors in Qatar are found with Hamad Hospital.

Unfortunately, like all public amenities in Qatar, it is simply overwhelmed by demand for it's services. The out-patient clinics and pharmacies are packed, medical appointments take months and even getting parking is a big difficulty.

The government is acutely aware of this and there is constant upgrade of the current amenities at the current Hamad hospital while a new and much larger Hamad hospital is being built concurrently. As much as the public hospital is overwhelmed, the common understanding by all expatriates is that if you need emergency medical attention, Hamad hospital is still the best choice as it has the best trauma centre in the country as well as being the only hospital with full medical specialties.

Hamad hospital also has an excellent ambulatory service and you can see ambulances dotted around the country and civil defence posts so that they offer quicker reactionary timing. It is amazing to see Qataris road users who are usually not known to be courteous or patient drivers, spreading a clear path whenever they hear sirens, especially for ambulances.

Private healthcare in Qatar

For expatriates who cannot put up with the wait at public health system, many would seek private medical treatment either through their companies' healthcare benefits or on their own personal expense. Private clinics and hospitals are available throughout the country and charges and service quality varies according to the level of service provided.

The biggest and best private hospital in Qatar is the Al-Ali hospital and even then, it is not a comprehensive hospital and they will refer patients to go to Hamad hospital if they do not have the necessary expertise. Treatment at Al-Ali hospital is definitely not a cheap affair but one never fail to see an unending line of visitors.

There are a number of smaller private hospitals such as Doha clinic, American hospital, German clinic and others around the country.

There are also a number of small dental and polyclinics all over Doha. Pharmacies and prescriptions are easily fulfilled in retail pharmacies which are everywhere around the country.

New Hospitals in Qatar

Qatar is also building the Sidra Medical and Research Centre; which will raise the bar on advanced health and medical treatments, research and teaching. The Sidra Medical Hospital will specialise in female and children medical care.

In addition, Hamad hospital is constant renovating and upgrading their existing buildings and is building a much bigger and modern new hospital.

Both public and private healthcare in Qatar still fall short by World standards today. However, this is one area of public service where you can see the urgency and clear planning by the government to deliver adequate modern healthcare to it's people and expatriates alike.