Healthcare in Beirut for Australians

Beirut's best hospitals can match Australia's. The difference is that nobody asks for your Medicare card. They ask how you're paying.

The short version

Smartraveller says many large private hospitals in Lebanon are generally as good as in Australia, but most reputable hospitals are private and expensive, and you must pay for all care, often with a payment guarantee first [1].
There's no agreement between Australia and Lebanon for free healthcare [1]. Medicare doesn't cover you in Beirut.
Since the 2019 crash, medical bills have largely moved to US dollars, and public insurance like the NSSF shrank to a fraction of what it paid, before partly recovering in 2025 [3][4].
Medicines and supplies can run short without notice, so bring what you need from Australia with paperwork [1].
Smartraveller's advice for Lebanon is Do not travel, and travel insurance may not cover you [1]. Getting the right policy is the most important health decision you'll make here.

How the system works

Lebanon's health system leans hard on the private sector. Most of the hospitals Australians end up in are private, many attached to universities, and they set their own prices.

Before 2019, three main groups paid the bills:

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF), for people formally employed in the private sector. It covered 44% of the insured population in 2019 [3].
The Ministry of Public Health, which helped uninsured Lebanese with hospital costs, alongside charities and families' own savings [3].
Private insurance and military or civil-servant schemes, for everyone else who had cover.

Then the currency collapsed. The ILO describes medical services being dollarised, medical inflation reaching 600% in 2022, and the NSSF at times paying no more than 10% of a bill. Paying out of your own pocket became the default [3]. Around 40% of Lebanese families have no insurance at all [3].

There's been some repair since. In March 2025 the NSSF announced it would lift coverage of medical and pharmaceutical costs from the 20% it had paid since 2019 to as much as 90%, depending on the case [4]. That helps people who are actually in the fund. It doesn't help you if you're an Australian on a visitor visa or working remotely for an Australian company.

Where Australians fit

Your situation	What covers you	What to expect
Visitor on a tourist visa	Your own insurance only	Pay up front, claim back later [1]
Remote worker for an Australian employer	Your own international policy	Same as a visitor. You're not in the NSSF.
Employed by a Lebanese company	NSSF, if your employer declares you, plus any group policy	Check your salary is declared in full. The ILO notes under-declaring is common [3].
Lebanese-Australian dual citizen	Lebanese schemes you qualify for, plus your own policy	Being Lebanese doesn't make care free [3]
Retiree living on savings	Your own international policy	Age limits and pre-existing conditions matter more

The hospitals

Beirut's big names are teaching hospitals. You'll hear these most:

American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), in Ras Beirut by the AUB campus. It's the one most people mean when they say "the AUB".
Hôtel-Dieu de France, in Achrafieh, linked to Université Saint-Joseph and strongly francophone.
Saint George Hospital University Medical Center, in Achrafieh, near Gemmayzeh. It was badly damaged in the August 2020 port explosion and rebuilt.
Clemenceau Medical Center, in the Clemenceau area of West Beirut.
LAU Medical Center – Rizk Hospital, in Achrafieh.

Smartraveller notes that power cuts, supply shortages and the economy can affect some hospitals [1]. The large ones run their own generators, but smaller clinics may not.

Paying at the door

This is the part that surprises Australians. Smartraveller says hospitals usually want a payment guarantee before admitting you, and you pay for everything, including a hospital stay or evacuation [1]. In practice that means one of three things:

Your insurer sends a guarantee of payment directly to the hospital.
You leave a cash deposit, usually in US dollars.
You pay a card deposit, if the hospital accepts your card and your bank allows the amount.

We couldn't verify typical prices for a GP visit, an emergency department visit or a night in hospital, and they move with the dollar and the hospital. Ask the hospital's admissions office for an estimate in writing before planned care, and don't assume it will be cheap just because local wages are low. Smartraveller's word for it is "expensive" [1].

Emergencies

Call 140 for a medical emergency [1]. That's the Lebanese Red Cross ambulance service, which runs around the clock from branches across the country and relies heavily on trained volunteers [5]. Fire and rescue is 175 and police 112 [1].

Tell the dispatcher which hospital you want to go to if you have a preference and you're conscious enough to say so. Your insurer's guarantee is usually easier to arrange with a hospital it already deals with, so find out which ones before you need them.

Then call your insurer's emergency line. If something goes badly wrong and you can't reach anyone, the Australian Embassy can be reached on +961 1 960600, and the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 [2]. The embassy can help you contact family and give you lists of services. It can't pay your bills [1].

Medicines and pharmacies

Pharmacies are everywhere in Beirut, and pharmacists are often the first stop for minor problems. But Smartraveller warns that shortages of medicines and medical supplies can happen without notice [1]. Imported brands come and go, and you may be offered a local or regional generic instead.

What we'd do:

Bring a decent supply from Australia. Smartraveller advises carrying enough for your stay plus extra for delays [1].
Carry the paperwork. A copy of your prescription and a doctor's letter listing each medicine, the dose and that it's for personal use [1].
Check legality first. Some medicines legal in Australia, especially strong painkillers and some ADHD and anxiety medications, may be restricted overseas. Smartraveller says medicines can be illegal even with an Australian prescription [1]. Ask the Embassy of Lebanon in Canberra before you fly.
Know the generic name of everything you take. Brand names differ between countries.
Don't buy medicine from unofficial sellers during a shortage. Counterfeit stock is a real risk when supply is tight.

Remember that the PBS subsidy only applies in Australia. Our Medicare guide explains what happens to your enrolment while you're away.

Water is the other everyday health risk. Smartraveller lists possible water contamination and waterborne illness, and advises drinking only boiled or bottled water from sealed bottles [1].

Choosing insurance that actually covers Lebanon

This is where most Australians come unstuck. Smartraveller says travel insurance may not cover you if you go against its advice, and tells you to read the Product Disclosure Statement closely [1]. A standard Australian travel policy is the wrong product if you live in Beirut. Many exclude Do not travel destinations and war-related injuries outright.

Look instead at international health or expat medical insurance written for people living overseas. Before you sign, get answers in writing:

Question	Why it matters in Beirut
Is Lebanon covered while the advice is Do not travel?	Some insurers exclude countries by advice level
Are war, terrorism and civil unrest excluded?	Smartraveller describes military action in Beirut [1]
Will you send a payment guarantee to Beirut hospitals?	Hospitals want this before admission [1]
Is medical evacuation included, and to where?	Evacuation can cost more than the treatment
Are pre-existing conditions covered?	Matters for older relatives moving back
Can you claim in US dollars to a foreign account?	Saves you from the local banking mess

If you're keeping Australian private health insurance while you're away, read our private health insurance guide. Suspending a policy can protect your waiting periods for when you come home, but it won't pay a Beirut hospital.

Practical tips from the ground

Find a GP before you're sick. Many Beirut doctors trained in France, the US or the UK and speak English or French. Ask neighbours and colleagues for names.
Keep cash for health. A sealed envelope of US dollars for an emergency deposit is normal here, not paranoid.
Keep copies of everything. Lab results, scans and discharge letters, in English if possible. They help your insurer and your doctor back in Australia.
Plan for the worst week. If the security situation turns, hospitals fill with casualties and supplies get tighter. Our emergency planning guide covers medicines in the go-bag.

Want a doctor recommendation from someone who's been there? Ask in Cooee Lebanon, our Facebook group for Australians in Lebanon. Members swap names of English-speaking GPs, dentists and paediatricians all the time.

Healthcare in Beirut: private hospitals, upfront payment and insurance