Here in Dubai there is no NHS, we have government-run hospitals and clinics that are usually cheaper in price but there is no such thing as free healthcare.However at home you pay National insurance so is your healthcare free???? For me I do like the availability of getting a Dr’s appointment if I just walk into the surgery but you do have to pay for privilege at the end of the day. The downside to paying for your own healthcare is that it’s all about money/payment. When I had premature rupture of membranes we went to the labour ward and I was admitted with no problems but when we were settled in it was mentioned to my husband that he should go and ‘register’ his wife, loosely translated would to go pay for your hospital admission. Still it was done with tact and sensitivity as opposed to LPV’s emergency visit to the hospital, my poor baby is vomiting, lethargic in my arms and I get asked ‘does the child have insurance’ I was promptly pushed aside by my husband who could see I was about to erupt.

My point to this post is that LPV was born here in Dubai and although he’s having the same vaccinations as most children around the world. The vaccination he is missing is the Meningitis C that he would get at home in the UK. For some reason I’m told it’s not available here in Dubai and I’m also assured that there is less risk here in Dubai of Meningitis. However for my own peace of mind I really want LPV to have this vaccination, I would actually prefer him to have this one over chicken pox (before anyone judges me, I don’t want him to be sick with chicken pox but if he was going to get It I would prefer him to have it childhood). The Men C vaccine is given at 12 weeks 16 weeks and 12 months. I guess I need to know from any midwives reading this, is there fexibility on these ages?? I would really like to petition to get this vaccine available here in Dubai, so lets watch this space.

Ps I didn’t write this post to get anyone worried about Meningitis C, It’s just a personal preference of mine.

Have a great day

Expat Mammy.x

Information from http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/MenC-vaccination/Pages/Introduction.aspx