Abu Dhabi at a Glance

Health Care and Housing in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi, a former pearl diver settlement, is home to 900,000 people.

If you are thinking of living in Abu Dhabi, don’t forget to do your homework! This InterNations article on living in Abu Dhabi helps you to take the hurdles which you might come across during your expat assignment. Find out more about expat life in Abu Dhabi, e.g. health care and housing.

Health Care

According to law, all UAE nationals and residents have to receive health insurance through their employer or sponsor. UAE nationals enjoy special benefits in form of full medical coverage provided by the state. Emergency health care is free of charge in all public hospitals.

By means of government investments, the UAE has been able to improve its health care system during the last few years. At the moment, the government covers the majority of health care costs. However, various initiatives to further privatize this sector have been launched. There are already many private hospitals and medical facilities with excellent doctors and an international staff.

Health-Care Facilities

More and more primary health care centers open their doors all over Abu Dhabi to cater to the needs of all patients. They are walk-in clinics, offering integrated services 24/7. Public hospitals collaborate with these centers to offer specialized services and transfer patients to different units when needed.

Aside from primary health care centers, there are various types of medical facilities in Abu Dhabi offering different services:

Ambulatory Care Clinics: Patients can visit these facilities without prior appointment. Abu Dhabi has a comprehensive network of one-stop-shop ambulatory care clinics offering primary and specialist care 24/7.
Family Medicine Clinics: These facilities have been open since 2009 and have often developed out of primary health care centers. Patients benefit from the advantages of trained staff and modern equipment but can be treated by their personal family physician at the same time.

Many of the facilities mentioned above also function as educational institutions to train medical and science students. for a useful search tool for all kinds of medical facilities available in Abu Dhabi, please see the website of the Abu Dhabi Government.

Accommodation

In Abu Dhabi you can find a wide range of high standard hotel apartments, residential apartments and villas. While foreigners are generally not allowed to buy property, there are some designated investment areas which provide an exception to this rule.

The classified sections of local newspapers are the first places to look when searching for rental property. Popular newspapers and classifieds are Al Ittihad (Arabic), Gulf News (English), Al Waseet classifieds (Arabic) and Al I’lania classifieds.

Registered brokers and “Abu Dhabi Commercial Properties” can assist with the search as well. These options make sense especially for those expats who do not know their way around Abu Dhabi yet, who are not fluent in the Arabic language or have no contact or acquaintance to translate for them. Keep in mind that, in addition to the brokerage fee, it is common to pay one year’s rent in advance.

Utilities

Utilities are activated by the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA). They provide the whole emirate with water and electricity. Once the supply has been activated, tenants receive a monthly bill, according to usage. This, just as any other mail, will be delivered to a P.O. box at the nearest post office. Residents can register for a private or a public P.O. box, with varying requirements.

To get a phone and Internet connection, residents have to visit a provider’s branch and bring a copy of their passport. After paying a refundable fee, the phone will be connected and you will be equipped with your own, brand-new phone number. For an Internet connection, completing an application at the same provider’s branch is necessary. The connection fee will then be included in the first month’s bill.