HEALTH AND BEAUTY IN RAS AL KHAIMAH
Visiting or living in Ras Al Khaimah does not pose any specific health risk.
However, to ensure you stay safe and healthy keep in mind certain warnings and take precautions to avoid potential risks.
The climate can be harsh during the summer months. Make sure you drink plenty of water in order to avoid dehydration. Cover your head while in the sun and do not forget to put sun block on your skin to avoid sunburn. This advice is essential especially for the elderly and children.
Furthermore, parents should pay increased attention to their children during swimming activities and never leave them unsupervised. Children should also never be left unattended in a hot and closed car. Every year newspapers report accidents in which children have suffocated in cars.
Do not touch, under any circumstances, reptiles or any other animals that are unknown to you. Snakes bites, although extremely rare, can be serious. When you do get bitten, you should immediately go to a hospital for further treatment.
Although water from the tap is generally clean, drinking it straight from the tap is not recommended. For safety purposes, as well as for a better taste, use readily available bottled water. The standard of food hygiene is high, especially in larger establishments. You might want to investigate conditions in smaller cafés in remote areas, although even there standards are usually good. Holiday illnesses are rare in the UAE and usually visitors do not suffer from any food related problems.
No special immunizations are required. However, it is obligatory to have health insurance during your stay in the UAE; it is one of the conditions for approval of your entry visa. Medical services are significantly expensive, especially in the private medical sector, thus insurance comes handy if you need to visit one of the private practitioner. In Ras Al Khaimah you will have a choice of private clinics and individual practices, as well as public and private hospitals. In all instances medical procedures and treatments (sterilizing, transfusions etc.) are reliable.
EMERGENCY
Ambulance 999
Saqr Hospital Emergency 07 222 3655
RAK Hospital Emergency 07 222 5555
RAK Ministry of Health
Phone: 07 2225666
HEALTH CARD
The Department of Health and Medical Service issues health cards to all UAE nationals and resident expatriates. The health card is received for a fee of 300dhs and is usually arranged by the employer when applying for a residence visa. It gives the right to use public health facilities and entitles you to subsidised consultation and free medicine. Fees of medical examination in hospitals are less for health cardholders, while UAE nationals are exempt from any charges. If you are a visitor to the UAE, you can still use government health services, even though you do not have a health card. However, you can go to a public hospitals only twice during your stay, and you must cover all necessary costs. Another option is to visit private facilities.
MEDICAL INSURANCE
At the time of writing, all visitors to Ras Al Khaimah are obliged to purchase health insurance. Residents need to arrange their own health policy, although sometimes it is offered by the employer. Go to the Banks and Insurance chapter, where contact details of insurance brokers, who provide medical care packages for individuals, families and companies, are listed.
