Second-opinion consultations in Dubai and what to prepare before booking

If you already have a diagnosis or a proposed operation, start a second-opinion enquiry with the question you want another clinician to answer. You might want someone to review the evidence behind the recommendation, explain what the proposed treatment involves, or identify which information is still missing. Tell the booking team whether you want a written opinion, a conversation with a clinician, or an appointment where you can also be examined. Those are different services to ask about when you request a price.

This guide compares two Dubai routes for the same example, a second opinion after a spine surgery recommendation. Alter Health in Jumeirah 2 describes a records-based review by Dr Osama Kashlan that leads to a written advisory report. Dr Rami Hamed Center in Dubai Healthcare City asks for case details and records first, and describes an online consultation with Dr Rami Hamed where appropriate. Ask each team what it can offer for your case, what it needs to start and what you would pay before you agree to a review. Alter Health second-opinion service. Dr Rami Hamed Center spine second-opinion service.

Public service and registry information checked on 7 November 2026. The guide compares booking, records and fees.

Alter Health for a records-based opinion

Alter Health’s clinic is at Beach Park Plaza in Jumeirah 2. It names Dr Osama Kashlan as the clinician who reviews the submitted information and prepares the advisory report. The Dubai Health Authority lists the facility as Alter Health Clinic LLC and identifies Dr Kashlan as a consultant in neurosurgery there. Start with the clinic’s second-opinion team on 054 223 7400. Tell them you have a spine surgery recommendation and want to find out whether the records route is suitable for the question you have. Alter Health location and clinic information. DHA facility record. Dr Osama Kashlan’s DHA record.

The clinic says it will usually ask for the relevant images, the corresponding reports, a concise clinical history and the proposed treatment. Contact the clinic before sending anything so you can use the transfer method it gives you. If you’re missing an image or only have a written report, tell the team at the start. Ask whether it can review what you have and which files it would need before accepting the case. That can save you from paying for a review that still has to wait for records.

The published service describes a written advisory report based on the information supplied. If you also want to speak with the reviewer, ask whether that conversation is included, when it would happen and how to arrange it. The clinic says an in-person assessment or additional information may be needed. If a later visit is possible, ask how it would be booked and whether it has its own fee. This is especially useful if you would need to travel to Dubai for it. Alter Health’s second-opinion process. Official Alter Health Instagram.

No amount for the exact records review is shown on the service page. Ask for a quote that identifies the written report, any scheduled conversation and what happens if the reviewer needs more information before completing it. Get the expected turnaround from the point when the clinic has accepted the records. The date you first call may be several days before the original facility releases the images.

Dr Rami Hamed Center for case intake and a specialist consultation

The centre’s spine second-opinion page names Dr Rami Hamed and asks patients to describe the original diagnosis or treatment recommendation and share available records. Its public instructions allow international patients to start remotely. An online consultation can follow where appropriate, with the team confirming availability. If you want to attend in person, ask for the appointment location and wait for the clinic to confirm. The centre lists more than one location, while the DHA record for this example is Building 52 in Dubai Healthcare City. The registry identifies the clinician as Ahmad Rami Hamed, consultant in orthopedic surgery. Dr Rami Hamed Center DHA facility record. Dr Rami Hamed’s DHA record.

Use the request route on the second-opinion page or call 04 279 8200. Ask how to send the images themselves in addition to the reports. If you use the form, keep a note of when you submitted it and what files the team has received. The first step gets the case to the clinic. Look for a separate confirmation naming the doctor, date, format and fee before arranging travel or taking time off work. If another examination or test is proposed, ask how that changes the appointment and the price.

The centre’s general tariff publishes AED 650 for a consultant consultation. Its dedicated spine second-opinion page does not quote a separate price for the service. Ask the centre if the AED 650 applies to the appointment offered and whether it includes review of the records before the call, any written note, and any discussion afterwards. If the team proposes another format, get the quote for that format. A first consultant appointment, a written opinion and a treatment estimate give you different things. Dr Rami Hamed Center consultation tariff.

The clinic’s official Instagram has a reel introducing Dr Rami Hamed. The written service page and clinic confirmation are the sources for the records process, appointment and fee.

Gather the records before setting a deadline

Ask the original clinic for the documents that explain what was proposed. Useful starting points are the latest specialist letter, the exact treatment or procedure name as written, and the date it was discussed. For imaging, ask for the images and the corresponding written report. If the original provider gives you access through a portal, ask the receiving clinic whether it can use that link or needs the files transferred in a different way. Verify the link still works before you assume the reviewer can see the scan.

Put the records in date order and give the receiving team a short list of what you have. For instance, you might have a recent scan report, older images on a disc and a later letter proposing an operation. Tell the team which items are missing and whether any record is in a language the reviewer may need help with. Ask which documents should be translated and whether an original copy is also needed. Get a separate quote for translation if it is required.

If the earlier care was through Dubai Health, its medical report service publishes a request route and asks for a valid Emirates ID and details of the specialty or test. It describes a recent-visit condition for the service. If your last visit was further back or you need a copy of the original images, call the network at 800 60 to ask which records route applies. For other providers, use the original clinic’s records desk. Dubai Health medical report request.

If you’re arranging the consultation for someone else, ask the two facilities what they need to release and receive that person’s records. Find out whether the patient should make the request themselves or how to document permission. Ask the receiving clinic for its official transfer route. You can usually explain the type of enquiry and ask about the price before sharing the medical details.

Compare quotes for the same deliverable

When asking for a price, repeat what you expect to receive. For Alter Health, that might be a written opinion on the submitted spine records. For Dr Rami Hamed Center, it might be an online specialist consultation after the clinician has looked at the images. Ask whether the price includes a written summary that you can take to your original doctor. If the quote covers the conversation only, get the charge for a report separately. If a consultation or report has already been quoted, ask how further questions after delivery are handled.

Ask which part of the quote changes if you need an examination or further tests. The team may only be able to give a price once the clinician has seen the records. In that case, establish the cost of the initial step and ask when you will be told about any additional charge. If you use insurance, name the exact clinician, facility, appointment and format when you check with your insurer. A remote records review and an outpatient consultation can be recorded differently. Ask what, if anything, the insurer needs before you pay.

If you have a date by which you want the opinion, tell the clinic when you first contact it. Ask for separate estimates of when your records will be checked for completeness and when the appointment or report could follow. If the answer depends on whether images are available, work with the original clinic to get those first. Avoid making travel arrangements around a possible appointment that the receiving clinic hasn’t confirmed.

Keep the opinion separate from any treatment estimate

A second-opinion quote tells you what you’ll pay to have the case reviewed in the agreed format. If the clinic subsequently offers treatment, ask for a separate estimate with its own date and inclusions. At Dr Rami Hamed Center, the international patient page describes treatment quotations and appointment coordination as possible later steps. At Alter Health, the written report is the stated output of the records route. Before accepting either quote, ask whether there is a charge if the clinic reviews the files and decides it needs an examination before it can give an opinion.

If you want your original clinician to receive the outcome, ask about the handover before the review. A report you can download and share is different from a note kept in the reviewing clinic’s records. Find out whether the clinic can send the document to you, what it would need to send it directly to another clinician, and when the copy would be ready. If you have already booked a conversation with your treating clinician, use that date when asking about delivery. If the written outcome cannot be ready in time, ask whether it is possible to arrange the discussion for a later date.

Choose the route that fits the question

You want a written opinion to discuss with your treating doctor. Ask Alter Health what records are needed, whether the report will address your specific question and when it can be delivered. Ask how to add a discussion if you need one. If you’re comparing it with a consultation elsewhere, include the price of a written summary in the other quote.

You want to speak with the reviewer. Ask Dr Rami Hamed Center whether an online consultation is appropriate, how the team will get the images to the doctor beforehand and what the call costs. If you’re considering Alter Health’s written route as well, ask whether and when a conversation can be added. The more useful booking is the one whose format lets you ask the question you have.

You have a written scan report and the original images are still missing. Tell the receiving team what you have before paying. Ask which specific records need to arrive first, whether you should submit the report now and when the team can accept the case. Then ask the first provider for the original images in a format the reviewing clinic can open.

Common booking questions

Is a case submission an appointment?

Treat it as the start of the enquiry. Check that the clinic has the records and ask when it will confirm the reviewer and the next step. If it offers an appointment, get the date, format and fee in the confirmation.

Can I ask for a second opinion without travelling to Dubai?

Both examples describe a way to start remotely. Ask whether your question can be addressed from the records or through a video consultation, and whether an examination might be needed. Check the format and price before booking travel.

Does the fee include an opinion in writing?

Ask the team to say what you’ll receive. Alter Health describes a written advisory report. At Dr Rami Hamed Center, ask whether the proposed consultation includes a written summary and whether you can share it with your treating clinician.

What if the second clinic asks for more tests?

Ask which item it needs and whether you can provide an existing result. If a new test or appointment is proposed, get its price and expected timing separately from the initial review.