CHOOSING LONDON FOR HEALTHCARE
Professor Abdulaziz Mohammed Aleisa, Health Attaché at the Saudi Health Mission in the United Kingdom and Ireland, explains the services that are available to help Saudi visitors to the UK for healthcare
ASSISTANCE FOR SAUDI PATIENTS VISITING THE UK The Saudi Health Mission in the United Kingdom and Ireland opened in 1974 to represent the Saudi Ministry of Health, under the umbrella of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London. It is one of four Saudi Health Missions around the world and we provide services for Saudi citizens in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The services we provide for visiting Saudi patients divide into three categories. Firstly, we provide services such as medical supervision and case management for Saudi patients in the UK who are sponsored by the Saudi government. These are complicated or specialist cases in which the patient requires treatment abroad. More straightforward cases can be treated in highly equipped tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia for free.
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For example, for a Saudi patient visiting the UK, we will select the right hospital and the best medical centre based on the tests or treatment that they require. Sometimes we will also find a specific doctor or consultant for more complex cases.
Assisting 'self-pay' patients In the second category are patients who choose to pay for medical treatment outside Saudi Arabia, even though the treatment is available within the Kingdom. The Saudi Health Mission assists these ‘self-pay’ patients in deciding the hospital or clinic to select, and also we can help with scheduling appointments and translating medical reports. The third category includes visitors who may not have a medical condition currently, but who wish to see a consultant or have a routine check-up while they are
