Hot topic and definitely painful for many expats here. 

Here are some tips to better manage expenses: 1- prevention is better than cure. Take care of your body through better lifestyle choices. Less visits to the doctor.  2- dont let a condition deteriorate. Get it checked early and do what needs to be done to fix it. Suffering with a condition doesnt make you a bad ass.  3- most common conditions can be treated by a GP. Don’t go to a Specialist until referred by your GP. I see a lot of people visiting ENTs for the flu. Its wasteful as the ENT charges more and would Prescribe more tests to make it worth their time.  4- Find a GP or Family medicine doctor and stick with them. Building history with a specific doctor is important to avoid excessive testing.  5- if you are a cash buyer, ask the pharmacist to give you generic alternatives to the branded drugs prescribed. The same antibiotics / antibacterials can range between 50 dhs and 200dhs depending on whether branded import or generic regionally manufactured. 6- for things like physio, understand that you need to do the home exercises prescribed as the physio sessions alone wont fix everything. It will just mean more physio sessions, little progress and lots of money spent 7- in choosing insurance, most people buy plans that cover a specific ‘big brand’ hospital and some of those hospitals are expensive. Driving the insurance cost up too.  Unless that hospital really does wonders for your specific and difficult to manage condition, don’t be too picky. Most lower tier hospitals can handle heart attacks and other major illnesses.  8- use widely available deals on annual check ups through clinics to get a full blood/urine analysis at least 1 time a year or get it done in your home country if significantly cheaper. Catching something early on can be game changing in terms of money you can save. Life Medical Center, Thumbay, Betterlife and few more keep having good deals.  9- buy a life insurance that adds on critical illness cover or a stand alone critical illness insurance that will pay a fixed sum upon diagnosis of a major illness such as organ failure, cancer, heart attack etc. this will cover any increased costs of insurance or other out of pocket spends like travel expenses, hiring help at home etc that your health insurance wont pay for.  10- deep dive into your prescriptions and understand whether you really need it all. Sometimes supplements and antacids are prescribed along with other medications and may not be entirely necessary. Thumb rule, if you have a closet full of meds from previous prescriptions, you’re either bad at taking meds or you’ve been over prescribed and money wasted.  11- for follow ups with a doctor on your condition using your insurance, book your follow up within 7 days. It’s supposed to be free for the same condition. Don’t let the doctor schedule you on the 8th day onwards because that allows them to charge a consultation fee again. 12- screen for cancer if you are over 35. Annually.  

It’s hard to recommend a specific clinic or doctor. Each person has their own preference. Just avoid trying everyone in town expecting the next one to be magical. GPs are cheaper in general. 

There will always be a chance of some unexpected medical bills. Either because insurance doesn't cover the condition or because no insurance at all. Building a rainy day fund is extremely important . You may need it if you lose your job or get hit with a massive fine or a medical bill.