UAE is still recovering back from Covid-19 pandemic’s global effects as the labour market continues to bounce back. Hundreds of job vacancies are opening up across the Emirates, which is expected to increase further in the next 12 months. Companies are also expecting rise in revenue by as much as 50 per cent as part of a global economic rebound.

Despite the positive sentiment, cuts to medical insurance benefits and salaries due to the pandemic has pushed people to seek help. The National spoke to many Dubai residents who sought help to receive medicine which is not covered by their employers’ insurance and also too expensive to purchase.

“I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease 13 years ago and without special medicine, I cannot walk properly or sleep and am constantly in pain,” said Anurag Joshi, 30, a sales manager from India. “The medication I need costs Dh3,500 [$952] a month and was never covered by my medical insurance, but I was able to pay it myself out of my salary. However, the company I work for had to introduce 50 per cent salary cuts because of the pandemic and I wasn’t able to afford it any more.”

Mr Joshi was eventually able to receive the essential medicine after seeking help from a healthcare consultancy firm that put him in touch with a UAE hospital programme. It helped him to receive it free of charge. “Without the medication, I couldn’t sleep for long and would wake up every few hours and would need to take painkillers to try and get back to sleep,” he said.

“I was diagnosed with chronic leukaemia six years ago and the medicine I needed was not covered by my health insurance,” said Ahmed Al Hoseny, 35, a Dubai resident from Egypt, who shared getting medicine was impossible without help from healthcare access company. “The medicine I need costs Dh19,000 a month and even if I spent my full salary on it I wouldn’t be able to afford it by myself. If that wasn’t enough, I also have to do a blood test every three months that costs Dh3,000.”

“If I didn’t get this help I don’t know what I would have done as I have to provide for my two children as well,” said the computer engineer.

Both Mr Al Hoseny and Mr Joshi enlisted seeking the help of Axios International, a healthcare consultancy that helps people get in touch with organisations like hospitals and charities that can help them obtain the needed treatment.

“There was a situation where a lot of people lost their work or means of support because of what happened [with Covid-19]. This is the same all across the world,” said Omer Karfis, cluster lead for Axios International. “A lot of the people we help either don’t have health insurance at all or what they have doesn’t cover what they need.”

“We work alongside organisations like the Ministry of Health and Prevention, hospitals and charities as well as pharmaceutical companies to get people in desperate need the help they require. We don’t give away free medicine; we connect people to those who can help them.”

Mr Karfis said many organisations, such as hospitals and charities, are there that provide programmes for worthy cases desperately in need of access to healthcare, both regionally and globally, but unable to afford it themselves or their insurance doesn’t cover it. His firm connects patients in the UAE and worldwide, requiring care with those with the means to provide it. The only requirement is that they can show their plight is genuine. 

The company has provided support to cancer victims in the UAE and also to those suffering from conditions like psoriasis and autoimmune disease.

According to World Health Organisation, more than half of the world's population does not have access to essential health services.

“There is a challenge everywhere all over the world, not just in the UAE, for people to get access to the care they need,” Mr Karfis said. “The majority of people are not lucky enough to have access to premium-level health insurance.”