Healthcare For Newly Arrived Expats In Bahrain

If you’re heading for relocation to Bahrain, here’s how to ensure you’ll get acceptable levels of healthcare.

Basically, Bahrain provides free healthcare treatments for its citizens, and employers must now provide healthcare insurance for their foreign workers, meaning expats will be able to access healthcare at a subsidised cost. In addition, private healthcare insurance is easily arranged.

For primary healthcare, expats will need their CPR cards in order to be assigned a local health centre within easy reach of their homes. Three health clinics and 25 health centres are found in the emirate and provide a wide range of services including vaccinations, ultrasound scans, mental healthcare and minor surgery. Each visit will cost BHD7, a sum which covers everything including x-ray and blood tests, and appointments can be easily booked online.

If specialist treatment is recommended, you’ll be referred by the health centre, as this is the only way to get a hospital appointment apart from emergency care. Bahrain’s main hospital is Manama’s Salmaniya Medical Complex, comprising an A&E department, a maternity wing and a psychiatric facility. For expats, treatment at public hospitals is free for citizens, with expats being charged for certain treatments and the cost covered by their employer.

As regards Bahrain’s private hospitals, appointments are faster than in the public sector and the standard is up to Western levels, but expats will need to get private healthcare insurance as they’re not cheap. Both local and international insurers’ products are accepted, including BUPA and AXA. It’s wise to include dental treatment, as Bahrain’s private dental clinics are expensive, and comparing several plans for cost and coverage is the best way forward.