Before you start

Private health insurance with adequate cover and a clear network
A chosen hospital and a known route to it
Enough chronic medication to cover the transition
An understanding of whether your policy pays the hospital or reimburses you

Step-by-step

1
Arrange private health insurance before you arrive
Do not plan to sort this locally in your first month. Establish the annual limit, whether it covers evacuation, which Beirut hospitals it works with, and whether it direct-bills or requires you to pay and claim. On a serious admission that last question is a very large cash-flow difference.
OnlineWho: You, or your employerBefore arrivalSubstantial; international policies with evacuation cover more so
2
Check what NSSF registration does and does not give you
Employees registered with the National Social Security Fund have defined entitlements, with employer and employee contributions to sickness and maternity, family allowances and end-of-service branches. What that delivers in practice at a private hospital is a separate question from what the scheme provides on paper. Ask a Lebanese colleague, not a brochure.
Via employerWho: You, with HRAt onboardingContributions deducted from pay
3
Choose your hospital and drive the route
AUBMC in Hamra, Hôtel-Dieu in Achrafieh, Clemenceau and Saint George are among the main options and are geographically spread across a city where traffic and road closures matter. Pick the one on your insurance network, drive there once, and save it.
Mobile appWho: YouFirst monthFree
4
Save 140 before anything else
The Lebanese Red Cross operates the country's principal ambulance service, is free to call from any phone anywhere in Lebanon, and runs a large fleet from first-aid centres nationwide. 112 reaches the Internal Security Forces, 175 the fire brigade and 125 civil defence. Put all four in your phone in week one.
In personWho: YouWeek oneFree
5
Bring chronic medication and establish a local prescriber
Lebanon's pharmaceutical supply has been affected by the economic situation and specific medications have at times been difficult to obtain. Bring a doctor's letter listing everything by generic name, bring a generous supply, and establish a local prescriber and a reliable pharmacy early.
In personWho: YouFirst monthPrescription cost
6
Think about power when you think about health
Anyone dependent on refrigerated medication, a CPAP machine, or any powered medical device needs to plan around a supply that comes partly from a neighbourhood generator. Ask about the building's generator hours and reliability, and consider a battery backup. This is a genuinely Lebanese consideration that most people arriving do not think of.
In personWho: YouBefore choosing a flatCost of a backup if needed

Documents you’ll need

Private insurance policy schedule with the annual limit and network
Residence permit
Doctor's letter listing chronic medication by generic name
NSSF registration confirmation if employed locally

Things most newcomers don’t know

140 is the number, and it is the Red Cross rather than a state ambulance service.

The Lebanese Red Cross operates the country's principal emergency medical service, running a large ambulance fleet from first-aid centres across Lebanon, and 140 is free to dial from any phone anywhere in the country. This is unlike most countries, where the ambulance service is a state body reached through a unified number. Newcomers who put a generic emergency number in their phone and nothing else have not saved the one that matters most.

Source: Lebanese Red Cross; Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs contact list for Lebanon

Beirut's hospitals are genuinely good and genuinely under strain, and both halves are true.

AUBMC and Hôtel-Dieu have been referral institutions for the wider Middle East for decades, with clinical standards that outrun the country's current circumstances. They have also been affected by the economic crisis, by emigration of medical staff, and by the same power and supply problems as everything else. The practical implication is not to avoid Lebanese healthcare — it is to hold insurance that lets you use the best of it, and to have evacuation cover for the scenarios it cannot handle.

Source: Lebanese private hospital sector; local reporting

Powered medical needs are a housing decision in Lebanon.

If you or a family member depends on refrigerated medication, a nebuliser, a CPAP machine or any powered device, the fact that a share of your electricity comes from a neighbourhood generator with defined hours becomes a medical issue rather than an inconvenience. Ask about generator hours, reliability and whether the building has solar, and budget for a battery backup. Very few relocation guides connect the electricity situation to health, and for some households it is the most important link there is.

Source: Local electricity supply arrangements

Direct billing versus reimbursement is the question that decides your cash flow.

A local Lebanese policy typically settles directly with the hospital. Many international expatriate policies require you to pay and claim, which in a cash economy with a restricted banking system means finding a large sum in physical dollars at short notice. Establish which yours does, and which specific Beirut hospitals your insurer has arrangements with, before you need to know.

Source: Local insurance practice

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without private health insurance and planning to arrange it locally.
Saving a generic emergency number but not 140 for the Red Cross.
Holding a policy that reimburses rather than direct-bills, in a cash economy.
Renting a flat without asking about generator reliability when someone in the household has powered medical needs.
Assuming a specific brand-name medication will be reliably available.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.