Healthcare in Mongolia

I look Mongolian enough to get through the public (and mostly free) healthcare systems in Darkhan. Private services are available, with added cost for foreigners. Make a helpful and available friend to help you navigate the system, unless you're fluent.

As for being a Mongolian, I'd recommend you to visit well-known private hospital such as Sos Medica, ( sosmedica.mn). And also medical insurance is not that popular..

Have a nice time in Mongolia,
And welcome to ask any question

Hi,

In order to help expats and soon-to-be expats, we would like to invite you to share your experience on this topic, with updated info on the healthcare system.

Thank you in advance,

Julie
Expat.com Team

I found dental care both fairly expensive and painful.  I was fortunate in having a dentist who had studied in Germany and spoke vey good German.  How-ever, it turned out that she was the head dentist, and the dentist and staff who actually worked on my wisdom tooth spoke no German and less English than I spoke Mongolian (i.e., not much).  That was three years ago.  The tooth has given me no trouble since then.  I wanted to have my teeth cleaned, but the cost to have even  any one tooth cleaned was more than the cost to have all of my teeth cleaned in Korea, where I had health insurance.  This was in UB.

My Mongolian co-workers, who were federal employees, said they never used their medical insurance and didn't recommend that I get it.  They said they paid directly for their medical care instead.  I can't remember the reason or reasons they gave, but they were of one opinion.

When I had to have surgery (in UB)., I chose a hospital that had a partnership, so I thought, based on the name, with a Korean university.  How-ever, no one spoke Korean, and very few of the staff, except for the head nurse of my ward, spoke more than a few set phrases in English.  It was a bit scary.  The facilities were "adequate," but not sparkling by any means.  The surgery seems to have been done fairly well, but getting information was difficult.  I was assisted by my boss, who speaks fluent English but obviously couldn't be with me all the time.  The surgery was very inexpensive.

I am no longer in Mongolia and would like to return (except to the smog of UB), but hesitate due to my concerns about having surgery or other hospitalization.

Touch wood, I have been remarkably healthy in my three years here considering my unhealthy lifestyle, but every year to renew my registration card I have to take a full blood test at a cost of 30000 Tugs, I think if one has any infectious disease, you will be on the first plane out! But last year my then girlfriend complained of terrible headaches, and as I had lost a friend to a brain tumor, for my peace of mind wanted to rule that out, so a quick call to #3 hospital got an appointment the next day for a CAT Scan at a cost of 80000 Tugs, better then waiting weeks on the British NHS. ( a bouncing exchange rate at the moment, but 3000 Tugs 1 GBP. 2000.Tugs 1 $1).

I have the national health insurance. I had one very easy and inexpensive pregnancy (c-section) in a public hospital in Darkhan. After some health issues a year later, I went to a private hospital called Intermed. They have doctors who speak English. You can request an English speaking doctor (Mongolian or foreign). They also have dental services, MRI, OBGYN, and other standard services. They are far more than the average Mongolian can afford, but they are still considerably less than Western medical costs. There are more and more private health care facilities opening up with services that weren't offered here even three years ago. Fewer people are having to travel overseas for procedures and treatment, but services are largely limited to UB only and only at a handful of hospitals.