How does travel insurance work at hospitals in Hurghada, and are there Russian/English-speaking doctors?

If the insurer keeps stalling on payment, you can escalate: contact your regional governor's office, the emergency/disaster service, the consulate and embassy, use personal connections to find a doctor, arrange telemedicine with a doctor back home, and hire an insurance dispute lawyer. In one case the insurer resisted until the last day but ultimately paid the full bill after being flooded with calls and complaints.

In some clinics only the front-desk receptionist speaks Russian, not the doctor, so having a Russian speaker isn't always enough. Since virtually all doctors in Hurghada speak English, it's easier to bring along someone with good English as a translator — this opens up a much wider choice of clinics, including local Egyptian doctors.

The clinic doesn't always readily hand over test results, CT scans, and medical reports needed for a second opinion back home. Ask in advance about the schedule of Russian-speaking staff to resolve this faster.

Russian-speaking doctors are available at the hospital, but not every day — check the schedule on-site.

When you go to the hospital through insurance, staff mostly speak English rather than Russian — you'll need to communicate in English as best you can.

The insurance company responds quickly and stays in touch throughout treatment, which makes the hospital process easier.

Example from experience: a patient received 4 IV drips as part of insurance-covered treatment.