While GCC medical tourism has many strengths, there are also non-trivial risks and challenges. Regulatory inconsistency among GCC countries, high costs in certain specialties, shortage of highly specialized human resources, and challenges around malpractice or liability policies can deter international patients.

Cultural or language gaps, variability in quality across facilities, and trust issues (especially when patients cannot verify outcomes or credentials) remain concerns. Lack of standardized pricing can also create surprises.

Insurance coverage is inconsistent; many medical tourists have to pay out of pocket, or navigate reimbursable policies that are difficult to apply across borders. Travel risks (visa delays, logistics, procedural differences) add to the burden.

To see how analysts are modeling these risks into growth forecasts, and what mitigation strategies are being adopted by hospitals and governments, the GCC Medical Tourism Market Report offers useful risk assessment and country-level comparisons.