Health, vaccinations and medical care in Saudi Arabia

Care and paying for it

• Hospitals in the major cities are of a high standard. Serious cases may still require transfer.
• The eVisa's included insurance covers up to SAR 100,000, and the FCDO says directly that this may not be enough because treatment here is expensive. Take your own policy on top, covering treatment and evacuation.
• Many providers have English-speaking staff; the FCDO publishes a list.

The heat is the hazard

• Heat exhaustion and dehydration are the real danger in summer, and Saudi summer runs May to September with 45 C and above being ordinary in Riyadh.
• Maintain fluid and salt intake, not just water. This is the FCDO's specific advice and it is the difference between being hot and being ill.
• Do not plan outdoor sightseeing between 11:00 and 16:00 in summer. The country arranges itself around that and so should you.
• Altitude sickness is a risk in the Asir mountains in the southwest.

Medicines

• Some medicines that are ordinary elsewhere are controlled substances here. Anything with codeine, strong painkillers, some sleep and anxiety medication.
• A prescription from your own country is not accepted as authority. Carry it, signed by the prescriber and stamped by the clinic, as documentation - and check the specific drug before you fly.

Crowds

• Contagious disease spreads quickly during Hajj and Ramadan, when millions of people are in one place. Vaccination requirements for pilgrims are stricter and are set separately.

Numbers

• 911 for an ambulance, and it is the general emergency number.