Online doctor, Egypt
Egypt Belly and Egyptian Tummy What it is, and what to do.
Stomach upset a day or two into Egypt — the Red Sea, Cairo, a Nile cruise? Most cases settle with rest and fluids; TravelHealthPro says rehydration is the main treatment. Two local things change the practical advice: hotels will usually offer to send a doctor to your room, and FCDO cautions that some hotel doctors have overcharged for treatment and medicines and suggests buying medication from a pharmacy outside the hotel. Pomodoc connects you by video with an English-speaking doctor licensed to treat you in Egypt, for a fixed €40, to judge how dehydrated you are and whether you need a clinic at all. TravelHealthPro says a fever of 38°C or more, blood in the stool, or severe abdominal pain mean seeking medical care immediately. In a medical emergency, call 123 and ask for an ambulance.
The first offer in an Egyptian hotel is usually a doctor to your room. It is fast, and it is worth knowing what you are agreeing to before you say yes.
- €40
- per consultation
- No insurance
- or hotel doctor required
English-speaking doctors, licensed to treat you in Egypt.
Egypt Belly, Egyptian Tummy, Pharaoh's Revenge
They are all the same thing, and the medical name for it is travellers' diarrhoea. None of the nicknames is a separate illness and none of them means you have something unusual: they are what a very common holiday complaint gets called by the people who have had it.
Travellers' diarrhoea is the stomach illness that starts after arrival — loose stools several times a day, often with cramps, sometimes nausea or a mild temperature. NHS guidance says diarrhoea and vomiting usually stop in a few days and can usually be treated at home; TravelHealthPro says rehydration is the main treatment.
With Pomodoc you can speak with an English-speaking doctor by video wherever you are in Egypt — a resort, a hotel, a boat — describe what is happening and how much you are keeping down, and get a clear answer on whether this needs more than fluids and time.
- Consult securely by video
- Avoid unnecessary travel and waiting rooms
- Get clear guidance about your symptoms and treatment
- Access care while travelling or living in Egypt
Hotel Doctor, Pharmacy, or Video?
In Egypt the question is rarely whether care exists — it is which of the routes in front of you is the right one for a stomach upset, and in what order.
The hotel doctor and the pharmacy
- a hotel doctor can be at your room quickly, and for anything that needs an examination that may be the right call
- FCDO cautions that some hotel doctors have overcharged for treatment and medicines — ask what a visit covers before agreeing
- FCDO suggests buying medication from a pharmacy outside the hotel, where prices are often lower
For an ordinary case, rehydration and a day of rest may be the whole answer. What neither route gives you is a clinician's judgement on whether you need either.
A video consultation instead gives you
- a doctor who takes a history and judges how dehydrated you sound
- an answer on whether this needs a clinic at all, before you commit to a hotel visit
- the conversation in English, from your room or your cabin
- thresholds for overnight, so you know when to stop waiting
Pomodoc connects you with an English-speaking doctor by video, licensed to treat you in Egypt, for €40 per consultation. Fixed price, no surprises.
If the answer is rehydration salts from the pharmacy and rest, you will be told that, and it did not need a hotel visit.
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How It Works
Medical advice by video in three simple steps
Start online
Tell us where you are in Egypt and what is going on. It is a short form, not an appointment request.
Join by video
See your English-speaking doctor using your phone, tablet or computer.
Get clear guidance
Discuss your symptoms and receive advice about your next steps.
Why Use Pomodoc?
Explain it in English
Describe your symptoms and ask questions in English, instead of translating them first or hoping the clinic has someone who speaks it.
You do not have to leave the room
This is the illness where getting anywhere is the hardest part. A consultation happens where you already are.
A clinician's view on antibiotics
Whatever a counter will sell you, rehydration is the main treatment and most cases do not need antibiotics. Whether yours does is a doctor's call.
Understand what to do next
A doctor can help you decide whether you need treatment, rehydration support or an in-person appointment.
Travellers who needed a doctor abroad
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I was very happy to find this service! I was able to get a video visit with a physician promptly and get care.
Easy, competent, nice
Doctor was very nice and adequately thorough, explained everything very well. The whole process was far easier than expected.
Reliable and efficient
Reliable and efficient, able to provide medical support while you're away from home.
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More About Stomach Upsets in Egypt
Rehydration, and where the water comes from
NHS guidance: lots of fluids, small sips if you feel sick, no fruit juice or fizzy drinks because they can make diarrhoea worse. Oral rehydration salts, if you can get them, replace what a heavy episode takes out of you. Mix them with bottled water.
The hotel doctor: fast, and worth a question first
In resorts and larger hotels the first offer is almost always a doctor who will come to your room. FCDO adds the caution that belongs beside it: some hotel doctors have overcharged for treatment and medicines, and FCDO suggests buying medication from a pharmacy rather than through the hotel.
That does not mean refusing care. It means asking what the visit covers before it starts — and, for a stomach upset, knowing that a video consultation can often tell you whether a visit is needed at all.
Antibiotics, and why they are a doctor's call
Whatever a pharmacy counter will or will not sell you, TravelHealthPro notes that resistance to the antibiotics once used routinely for travellers' diarrhoea has become an increasing problem and that safety concerns have been raised. Most cases need rehydration, not antibiotics, and whether treatment is appropriate is a judgement a doctor makes on your symptoms.
A video consultation is a cheap way to get that judgement before you buy something at a counter that you may not need.
When it is not a stomach upset
TravelHealthPro's immediate-care signs — fever of 38°C or more, blood or mucus in the stool, severe abdominal pain, jaundice, rash, confusion — are the line between 'wait and rehydrate' and 'be seen now'. In Egypt that means a private clinic or hospital, and 123 for an ambulance in an emergency.
If you are on a Nile cruise or in a remote resort, distance to a hospital is a reason to act earlier on those signs, not later.
Good things to know.
Should I let the hotel send a doctor for a stomach upset in Egypt?
It is often the fastest way to be seen, and for anything that needs an examination it may be right. FCDO cautions that some hotel doctors have overcharged for treatment and medicines, and suggests buying medication from a pharmacy outside the hotel. For an ordinary stomach upset, a video consultation can tell you first whether a visit is needed at all.
Should I take antibiotics for diarrhoea in Egypt?
Not as a first step, and not on the strength of what a counter will sell you. Rehydration is the main treatment, and TravelHealthPro notes growing resistance and safety concerns about the antibiotics once used for this. Whether treatment is appropriate is a clinical judgement; ask a doctor before you buy.
What should I ask an Egyptian pharmacy for?
Oral rehydration salts, mixed with bottled water. They replace the salts and fluid a heavy episode takes out of you, and FCDO suggests pharmacies outside hotels for medicines generally.
When is a stomach upset in Egypt an emergency?
TravelHealthPro says immediate care for a fever of 38°C or more, blood or mucus in the stool, severe abdominal pain, jaundice, rash or confusion. Call 123 and ask for an ambulance in a medical emergency.
I am diving in the Red Sea and feel unwell. Is this the same thing?
No. CDC lists joint pain, numbness, weakness, confusion and shortness of breath among the signs of decompression illness, and says divers should seek qualified dive-medicine help promptly; Divers Alert Network (DAN) runs a 24-hour emergency line for exactly this. In an emergency in Egypt, call 123 and ask for an ambulance. CDC also says a diver with symptoms should be assessed before flying. A video consultation is not the route for that.
How much does a Pomodoc video consultation cost?
€40 is the fixed price of the video consultation with a doctor. It includes the consultation and, where clinically appropriate and local rules permit, a prescription. Medication you buy at a pharmacy, and any in-person care you go on to need, are separate. There is no subscription and no booking fee.
When is a video consultation not the right call?
Not when TravelHealthPro's immediate-care signs are present — a fever of 38°C or more, blood or mucus in the stool, severe abdominal pain, jaundice, rash or confusion — and not when you cannot keep fluids down or show signs of dehydration. In Egypt, call 123 for an ambulance in a medical emergency. It is also not the right tool when a doctor needs to examine you; if that is what your symptoms need, the useful outcome of the call is being told so early.
Sources
- Diarrhoea and vomitingNHSThat diarrhoea and vomiting should stop in a few days and can usually be treated at home; that the most important thing is lots of fluids to avoid dehydration; small sips; avoiding fruit juice and fizzy drinks; the dehydration signs; and the reasons to get advice including being unable to keep fluids down, bloody diarrhoea, diarrhoea for more than seven days or vomiting for more than two days.
- Travellers' diarrhoeaTravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC)The immediate-care thresholds: fever of 38°C or more, blood and/or mucus in the stool, altered mental status, severe abdominal pain, jaundice or rash; that vulnerable groups must seek early advice if not tolerating fluids or showing dehydration signs such as great thirst, sunken eyes or dry skin with reduced elasticity; that rehydration is the main treatment; and the resistance and safety concerns around fluoroquinolones.
- Egypt travel advice: HealthForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office123 for an ambulance; the caution that some hotel doctors have overcharged for treatment and medicines; the suggestion that pharmacies outside hotels will often supply medication at lower prices; and that FCDO has a list of medical providers where some staff speak English.
- Egypt: country informationTravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC)That there is no risk of malaria in Egypt. Its mention of heat is generic boilerplate for all destinations, not Egypt-specific hydration-and-shade advice, so the heat claim that cited it was cut on 2026-10-01.
- Scuba Diving: Decompression Illness and Other Dive-Related InjuriesCDC Yellow BookThe signs of decompression illness (joint aches or pain, numbness, weakness, confusion, shortness of breath); seeking qualified dive-medicine help promptly; DAN's 24-hour emergency consultation line; and that symptomatic divers should be evaluated before any exposure to increased altitude. Checked 2026-10-01.
Sources last checked: . General information, not a diagnosis.
Need Medical Advice in Egypt?
Speak to an English-speaking doctor by video and get guidance from wherever you are.
- €40, fixed price
- Licensed in Egypt
- English-speaking doctors
- Prescriptions where available
Video consultations are for suitable non-emergency medical concerns. In a life-threatening emergency in Egypt, call 123 for an ambulance. This page is general information, not medical advice about your own situation.