If you are thinking of having a baby while in Dubai, then medical insurance is something you will want to look into.
The cost of a newborn in Dubai without any complications including prenatal and postnatal care ranges from AED AED 20,000 for a normal delivery to AED 30,000 for a cesarian delivery.
Things to consider
It is worth noting that in Dubai and the rest of the UAE it is illegal to engage in sexual relations outside of marriage, and therefore pregnancy outside of wedlock is forbidden.
While researching your options for insurance, there are number of things that you will need to consider.
How Long Before Your Insurance Will Cover You
Firstly, for maternity cover most insurance companies will apply what is referred to as a moratorium on your insurance policy. A moratorium is a waiting period before you can make a claim and typically lasts for 12 months. That means that during this time should you require maternity treatment your insurer will not cover you. So you will want to consider how many months you will have to wait before you can fall pregnant.
What Is Included?
There are generally 3 aspects of medical cover, prenatal (before childbirth), delivery, and postnatal (after childbirth). You will want to consider the scope and limitations for each of these aspects.
Prenatal
You should consider when prenatal or antenatal care begins, the number of appointments with an ob/gyn, what tests are included, how many ultra sound scans are included, and whether you want antenatal classes.
Delivery
When it comes to deliver you should decide which type of delivery you would prefer, and whether your insurance provides cover for it. Normal delivers cost less, but extras such as epidural anesthesia and use of medical instruments are usually not included. You will want to consider whether you want these included.
Hospitals
You will want to see which hospitals are included within your coverage, check whether you are happy with them and their location. Other things to consider are the type of rooms, do you want a shared room (lower cost) or a private room? How many nights are you able to stay in the hospital, and is the husband permitted to stay overnight too?
Extras
You will need to consider whether ‘extras’ are included such as epidurals, circumcision, blood transfusions, ear piercings and other consumables.
EBP Maternity Cover
The Essential Benefits Plan (EBP) is Dubai’s minimum level of health cover that is required by law. The EBP provides limited cover for maternity, here is what is included;
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Out-patient antenatal services | blood tests, 3 ultrasounds, and 8 pre-delivery visits. |
| In-patient services | normal birth delivery of upto AED 7,000 & AED 10,000 for medically necessary C-section. |
| Coverage for newborn | 30 days coverage for the newborn child from the date of birth under the mother’s insurance policy for tests and screenings. |
For out-patient and in-patient maternity services there is a 10% co-insuance that will need to be paid by the person insured.
The complete details of EBP coverage can be found in DHA’s Employer’s Information Pack.