Doha or London?

Hi, Firstly congratulations on having handled such a difficult health situation and making it through with such strength and pride! Everyone up until now has been very helpful and Im afraid I would like to play devils advocate a little. I am British and live in Doha, I am also a healthcare professional and have lived in Dubai.I am also a close friend of one of the ladies heavily involved in the running of the cancer support group run through Al amal hospital (the hospital for people with cancer) It is run by Dr Khalid who I believe is a member of the Al Thani family (although dont quote me on it!) and the Qatar cancer society. Now all this looks very good, but I have to say that the care here in comparison to that in Dubai and of course that in London, is completely inferior. I give credit where it is due and aknowledge that they are trying to lift the services and are now bringing in more specialised staff to deal with cancer care, but as yet the options are very limited and basic things like nutritional advice, physiotherapy and after care are nonexistent. In my professional opinion cancer care here is pretty much still in the dark ages and given a choice I would be on the first plane home if I was to be diagnosed with anything like this. God forbid. I know that there are many people here going through the system and that seem happy with the treatment that they are recieving, but I have to say I feel that this is through lack of knowing what services and care are available elsewhere and IM afraid that you would find the care inferior to that you have received in dubai (although im sure that it was not all peachy there either!) I am the first to admitt that the NHS has got it's own issues and the political situation and economic situation spells drastic changes in the future but you can guarantee that the doctors have been well trained, that they have your best interests at heart, they may be overworked and underpayed, but the philosophy of the NHS still rings true and there is no doubt that the level of care is excellent. The drive for up to date practice and research that is taking place is phenomenal. I have personal experiences of using the NHS for cancer care and have had absolutely no complaints and found the care to be of a very high standard (maybe this is because I haven't been through the system elswhere as those here haven't been through the system elsewhere too!) To me this seems to be a time in your life where you should be putting yourself first. Doha will be here in the future and with the vastly growing population and the coming of the 2022 olympics it is set to increase further and further in the future. Im certain that many opportunities would be there for your husband to move at a later date if he and you so desired, so is it worth risking how far you have already come when you know that the services here will likely be nothing in comparison to those in the UK for many years to come? The rooms may not be as spangly and you may have to be on a ward rather in a private room if you were to need inpatient care, but trust me the local hospitals here are definately not the five star luxury hotel like rooms you get in Dubai and the standards of nursing care and long term support are in my opinion shameful ( i am certain I will be shot down in flames for saying this, but it is my opinion and formed as a result of first hand knowledge) Im also certain that the standard of care from frontline staff is far more important than the building or room that you may be in and the UK still undeniably has one of the best healthcare systems in the world where follow up care is important and the patient journey is respected. At the end of the day, we can only offer advice and I wear my heart on my sleeve when saying these things which I know some people wont like (I find people can be very protective of little Doha rather than being realistic and admitting its faults and working with them) Your heart will tell you what the right move is and together with your husband I am sure that you can make the correct decisions for you at this stage in your life and wellness journey. I send you abundant strength and courage for your continued treatment and the decisions you find yourself needing to make. Best wishes dot123.

Hello Natalie - the only thing that I wanted to add is how I perceive life in general here in Doha. I realise that the medical care is your first priority but just wanted to mention my opinion, having spent that last year in London and then moving here 4 months ago. In the UK, "the current economic climate (negative, negative, negative)" is all we heard about for an entire year! The cost of living is so expensive and is was just downright a sad state of affairs there. I love the UK and I love the scenery, the culture and the busy busy environment but life was looking pretty grim for us there and the job market was absolute ****. I'm pretty sure we didn't know anyone that was "financially happy". In Doha, our pace of life is slower in one respect as there is not so much to do but on the other hand, we seem to have tickets for something or dinner invites every weekend. Doha is much "slower" than Dubai, I read that Dubai had 70 malls, (I've only been to 4 there and I was happy) while here we have 4 (if you count The Centre) I think. I see my husband more here than I have ever because he works less hours. I lived in the UK before and it was not as bad but I think that they are really suffering from the "current economic climate". I hope that we will be able to return to the UK one day but for now, we are enjoying life in Doha while we can :) Another thing is the expat community...this is our first expat experience, even though we have lived in the USA and UK, that doesn't really count. I feel that we have made so many friends here in a short period of time that this really doesn't happen back home (UK or USA) There are so many women on this forum alone that are extending their help and friendship every day. This forum kept me sane for my first few months! Everything you need to know about the UK hospitals is on the NHS www, http://www.nhs.uk/Pages/HomePage.aspx I did a lot of reading about the NHS when I moved back to the UK in 2009. I seem to remember they have a clause in there somewhere saying that you could have to be resident for one year before healthcare is free, although they never seem to enforce it but worth having a good read through. Here is another www for info http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HealthAndWellBeing/index.htm Good luck in your decision!

The hospital is actaully called Al Amal Hospital - known to be one of the best cancer hospitals in the region and beyond. http://www.hmc.org.qa/alamal/index.htm It is a public hospital, which means that if you are a resident of Qatar and apply for a Medical Card (QR 100/year) the services and medications would be at very low cost. I recently met a woman who works there as a radiation therapist, and would be happy to try to put you in touch with her if you would like. Contact me at rachelawad at gmail dot com All the best to you!

What a difficult decision for you to make Natalie. My late husband had colorectal cancer and received excellent care at St Thomas' in London as well. For sure it is under strain, but he always got the approrpriate treatment (having researched it, I knew what was current/state of the art and what was not). Nothing was rejected on funding grounds, and the Drs and nurses are the kindest. He didn't make it because it was a late diagnosis; nothing to do with the treatement. If I were in your situation I would hit the support groups (like the one expat mum mentions) in both countries, patients are really well informed these days, and I think you'll get a good idea as to what is being offered in each place. Best of luck!

Hi natalie8 - It sounds like you have some good opportunities for health care. My guess is the hospital that you have heard of is Hamad. I have heard good things about it, but have not been myself. A couple of members of Doha Mums have formed a Cancer Support group and might be able to provide you with some first-hand advice. You can reach them at cancersupport -at- dohamums -dot- com The group is for everyone (men, women, patients, spouses, etc.), regardless of whether or not you have kids or are a Doha Mums member. We'll be adding a page to our website about the Cancer Support Group very soon as well. Good luck with your decision and let us know if there is anything else we can help you with. Roxanne