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I am thinking of moving to Egypt to live and work, along with my wife and her disabled father. He has poor mobility and we get him around in a wheelchair, we also need to ensure he has good medical care easily available.
Are we mad to contemplate this?, what are medical facilities / services (both doctors and hospitals) like?, how much would a full time nurse / carer cost us?, is Cairo easy to get around?
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Care for your Father would not be cheap, everything from doctors to hoepital visits wou;d have to be paid for at the western rate which is a lot more than the locals pay. Even the use uf an ambulance if needed will cost you, Insurance will not cover you. Your Embassy in cairo should be able to give you the pitfalls.
Posts: 176 | From: United Kingdom | Registered: Aug 2003
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Russells... full time nurse would cost about LE800-1000 a month. To get a good medical service, you have to pay as good. Doctor's fee per 2 visits is about LE 75/120-for both visits- in Cleopatra Hospital in Heliopolis (one of the best). Posts: 477 | From: Egypt | Registered: Jan 2004
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I would suggest that you would need to check out the pavements/sidewalks out in the area you want to live in beforehand as they are generally not wheelchair friendly. Most people end up walking in the road anyway, although this can be a bit hazardous, as it’s not easy to negotiate the pavements by foot in many areas due to the obstacles (cars, shop overflow, trees, etc.), driveway entrances, and poor upkeep! You will also need to check out building access and door widths in apartments, as making them wheelchair accessible is not a law here yet, although your father-in-law should be able to get in and out of major public buildings and malls without too much trouble. There was someone who used to visit who used a wheelchair and she always said that the taxi-drivers were very helpful about helping her in and out of the taxis with the chair. Why not come on holiday first to try things out before making a long term commitment?
[This message has been edited by newcomer (edited 06 September 2004).]
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it really depends. first, where do you live now - in other words, what are you comparing costs to? health care costs are different in the US, Canada, Europe, etc. then it depends what is the exact medical condition and if the drugs are available locally, or if they have to be imported.
labour is much cheaper in egypt on the general average, so if one were to compare out of pocket health care cost in most western countries - to health care cost in Egypt -then definitely Egypt is very cheap. Certain facilities rival those in the West, others fail miserably behind. Again, depends what he has, where you plan to live in Egypt, etc. Expect most options in Cairo, and your choices to be significantly lower outside the large cities.
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You did not state the nature of the medical condition except to say that a wheelchair was needed. The reason I mention this is that Egypt has a wonderful climate for arthritic problems. I have multiple sclerosis and osteo-arthritis and in cold wet England I have two sticks. In Egypt my joints are fluid and I have few mobility problems.
I do not live in Cairo, I live in the south, but when I am in Cairo I stock up on medicines that are not easily available in Luxor - and they cost a small percentage of what they would cost me in Europe. I have found the same with medical care. It has to be paid for - but the cost is relative and small.
Because of my own problems, I am conscious of access to buildings and I have to say that Egypt as a whole is not wheelchair friendly. The pavements are high, the roads dangerous, there are few lifts and lots of stairs.
Newcomer's suggestion is a good one. Why not come on an extended holiday to check things out before making a long-term commitment.
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Thanks to all for the good info your replies are much appreciated,
My father in law suffers from smoking related diseases so has some complex chest/ lung problems. Typically he picks up chest infections here in the UK which if not treated quickly enough with antibiotics can hospitalise him for weeks.(This year he has spent 4 months in hospital!!) We hope that the climate in Cairo would help with this, also drugs I believe that are available on prescription here are can be easily purchased in Cairo. Is emergency treatment easily accessible??, ie if we needed to get him to a hospital is it easy to call an ambulance and get him in?? QUOTE]Originally posted by Luxorlover: You did not state the nature of the medical condition except to say that a wheelchair was needed. The reason I mention this is that Egypt has a wonderful climate for arthritic problems. I have multiple sclerosis and osteo-arthritis and in cold wet England I have two sticks. In Egypt my joints are fluid and I have few mobility problems.
I do not live in Cairo, I live in the south, but when I am in Cairo I stock up on medicines that are not easily available in Luxor - and they cost a small percentage of what they would cost me in Europe. I have found the same with medical care. It has to be paid for - but the cost is relative and small.
Because of my own problems, I am conscious of access to buildings and I have to say that Egypt as a whole is not wheelchair friendly. The pavements are high, the roads dangerous, there are few lifts and lots of stairs.
Newcomer's suggestion is a good one. Why not come on an extended holiday to check things out before making a long-term commitment.[/QUOTE]
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Thanks to all for the good info your replies are much appreciated, My father in law suffers from smoking related diseases so has some complex chest/ lung problems. Typically he picks up chest infections here in the UK which if not treated quickly enough with antibiotics can hospitalise him for weeks.(This year he has spent 4 months in hospital!!) We hope that the climate in Cairo would help with this, also drugs I believe that are available on prescription here are can be easily purchased in Cairo. Is emergency treatment easily accessible??, ie if we needed to get him to a hospital is it easy to call an ambulance and get him in?? Posts: 4 | From: UK | Registered: Sep 2004
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Thanks to all for the good info your replies are much appreciated, My father in law suffers from smoking related diseases so has some complex chest/ lung problems. Typically he picks up chest infections here in the UK which if not treated quickly enough with antibiotics can hospitalise him for weeks.(This year he has spent 4 months in hospital!!) We hope that the climate in Cairo would help with this, also drugs I believe that are available on prescription here are can be easily purchased in Cairo. Is emergency treatment easily accessible??, ie if we needed to get him to a hospital is it easy to call an ambulance and get him in?? Posts: 4 | From: UK | Registered: Sep 2004
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MS people usually have a deficient immune system and chest infections follow that. So far I sympathise. I have been able to buy Ciprofloxacin over the counter here and that is such a strong anti-biotic that it knocks most chest infections on the head.
The dust can make chest problems worse though and with the lack of rain (especially in the south) the dust is continual.
Not sure about emergency treatment as I have never needed it but I would not rely on it too greatly if it can be avoided. Even traffic congestion can make things worse. A live in nurse would be the best bet and as Jaguar said it is not that expensive.
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emergency treatment is not good. there is no 911 equivalent (as far as i know...well...maybe the number exists but don't expect an ambulance to pull up in 5 minutes). what you will need to do is get yourself a good doctor. mine makes housecalls, for example. typically, they either work in a hospital and have evening hours (by the way, apts at 9 or 10pm are common) or have connections in a hospital. your doctor would be your emergency contact and he'd be the one who'd phone up the hospital and get an ambulance to come to your house.
Posts: 2182 | Registered: Oct 2002
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