Information last checked: November 2026. Rules, forms and portals change, so please confirm current details with the hospital, your insurer or the relevant authority before acting.
In short
- AAHC’s patient and family journey support is independent and non-clinical: it organises care around you, and leaves medical decisions to your doctors.
- The first conversation is free (15–30 minutes). Where an assessment is needed it costs AED 1,500, credited to a package if you proceed within 30 days.
- Packages are Gateway (2–6 weeks), Core (1–4 months) and Elite (ongoing), on fixed or monthly/quarterly fees agreed in writing.
- We do not diagnose, give treatment advice, arrange visas, flights or accommodation, or provide emergency support.
What it is, in plain words
Healthcare in the UAE is good at treatment and less good at the spaces between treatments. Your specialist knows your knee. Your insurer knows your policy. Your home-care provider knows your Tuesday visit. Nobody’s job is the whole picture. A patient support programme is someone whose job is the whole picture: they keep appointments, records, approvals and follow-ups joined up, and keep your family informed, while your doctors stay in charge of the medicine.
We call ours Patient & Family Journey Support. It was set up by Alison Aranha after 15 years in healthcare operations and administration across the UAE, the USA and Europe, and it rests on one observation: journeys rarely stall at the big moments, they stall in the gaps between them. Our guide on where healthcare journeys get stuck sets that out.
Who uses it
People usually come to us in one of a handful of situations, and they often overlap:
- An adult child abroad with a parent in Dubai or Abu Dhabi who needs care coordinated locally
- Someone facing planned surgery or a hospital stay who wants the admin handled
- A family managing several specialists at once
- Someone new to the UAE who doesn’t yet know how the system works
- An international patient planning treatment in the UAE
- Someone coming home from hospital who needs recovery, rehabilitation or home support set up
If one of these sounds like you, you are not unusual. If none do, our comparison of navigators, advocates and concierge services may point you to something better suited.
What the programme includes
The programme draws on five services, shaped around your situation after an initial conversation:
Healthcare navigation
Understanding available pathways, exploring provider and specialist options, coordinating a second opinion and the administrative requirements that go with them.
Care coordination
One independent point of contact who coordinates appointments, schedules, records, insurance-related administration and communication across your providers.
Family and caregiver support
A trusted local contact and clear updates for relatives, including those living overseas, shared with the patient’s authorisation.
Recovery and care continuity
Discharge follow-up, coordination of rehabilitation and home care with licensed providers, and regular check-ins after hospital.
In-person support
Non-clinical attendance at appointments, admissions or planned procedures where agreed, with help on administrative processes. Additional in-person support is quoted separately and subject to availability.
For people travelling to the UAE, the same services are available as international patient support, and for newcomers as new-to-UAE healthcare navigation.
How it works, step by step
- A free conversation (15–30 minutes). We listen to what’s happening and say honestly whether AAHC is the right fit. We don’t review records or make recommendations on this call, and you don’t need to have everything figured out beforehand.
- An assessment, where needed. For complex, project-based or ongoing support, a paid, non-clinical assessment looks at your information, priorities, timeframe and the services involved, and produces a written support plan. Simpler requests may not need one.
- A recommendation and a scope. We propose the service level, say what is included, how involved we will be, and what it costs, in writing.
- Onboarding and support. Once you have agreed, we set up the communication channel and the check-ins and begin. Key actions and outstanding items are recorded, and support is reviewed as your needs change.
You can start from the contact page or by phone, and we aim to reply within 48 business hours. The full journey is on our how it works page.
Not sure it’s for you?
That is exactly what the first call is for. Tell us briefly what’s happening and we’ll tell you honestly whether we can help.
What it costs
Pricing is the thing most support services bury, so here is what we publish:
| Step | What it is | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Initial conversation | 15–30 minutes, to understand and check fit | Free |
| Assessment (where required) | Non-clinical review and written support plan | AED 1,500, credited to your package if you proceed within 30 days |
| Gateway package | A defined need, typically 2–6 weeks (for example second-opinion coordination, surgical day support, new-to-UAE navigation) | Fixed fee, agreed in writing |
| Core package | A specific healthcare event, typically 1–4 months (for example surgery preparation and recovery, rehabilitation set-up) | Fixed fee, agreed in writing |
| Elite package | Ongoing coordination across several providers or long-term recovery and family support | Monthly or quarterly fee, agreed in writing |
| Additional in-person support | Attendance beyond the agreed scope | Quoted separately, subject to availability |
We don’t list package fees on the website because scope varies so much: after the free conversation and, where needed, an assessment, we confirm the scope and fee in writing before anything begins. You can change package later; we agree the change before proceeding. A word on conflicts of interest: some of our provider partnerships are commission-based, and we also help clients explore providers outside those partnerships. Your options are guided by your needs, preferences and circumstances, and the final choice remains yours.
Two illustrative scenarios
These are examples, not real clients.
A parent in Dubai, a daughter in London. The daughter’s father has been told he needs a hip operation and rehabilitation afterwards. She is working full-time in another time zone. A Core package might cover organising his records and the surgeon’s referral, tracking the insurance pre-approval, attending the day of surgery, setting up physiotherapy at home with a licensed provider, and sending her a short update after each step, with her father’s agreement.
Someone planning treatment from abroad. A patient in Nairobi is considering surgery in Abu Dhabi. A Gateway package might help compare two or three providers, assemble the records pack, check what each estimate includes and organise the follow-up plan for their doctor at home, while the hospital arranges the entry permit and the patient arranges travel.
What it does not do
- We do not diagnose, prescribe, give treatment advice or choose your doctor.
- We do not provide emergency or 24/7 support. In a medical emergency, call 998.
- We do not arrange visas, flights or accommodation.
- We cannot guarantee that an insurer will approve a request.
- We are not a clinic, a hospital, an insurer or a carer agency.
How to decide if you need it
A fair test: if your care sits with one team, your family is close and you have time, you probably don’t need us; your hospital’s patient services and your insurer will do. Help earns its keep when several providers are involved, a loved one is far away, approvals and paperwork have become a second job, or the person at the centre can’t easily manage on their own. If you’re weighing options, our comparison of navigators, advocates and hospital concierge services sets out the alternatives honestly.
Common questions
Do I have to be in the UAE?
No. With the patient’s authorisation, we coordinate agreed support inside the UAE and keep a designated family contact updated wherever they live.
Does the patient have to agree?
Yes. Communication with family follows the patient’s authorisation, with respect for their choices and autonomy.
Are you available in Abu Dhabi as well as Dubai?
Yes, we support patients and families in both.
Is my information confidential?
Patient information is treated as confidential and shared only with authorised parties, in line with applicable UAE regulations. See our privacy policy.
Sources and further reading
- AA Health Central: packages
- AA Health Central: how it works
- AA Health Central: FAQs
- Dubai Health Authority
- Department of Health, Abu Dhabi
This article offers general, non-clinical information only. It is not medical, legal or insurance advice. Always speak to your doctor or healthcare provider about clinical questions. In a medical emergency, call 998.
