government travel advice
US Govt Travel Advisory Update – Israel and Gaza
The United States Government has updated its travel advice about the region owing to the increasingly dangerous situation developing there.
The advisory notice is important for two reasons – It reflects the current thinking of the US government and its understanding of the risks associated with travelling to the region, and it could affect anyone’s travel insurance who is already there, or thinking about going there in the immediate future.
Do you need travel insurance for Tenerife?
Tenerife Travel Insurance.
Tenerife is a hugely popular holiday destination, is part of the Canary Islands, and comes under the jurisdiction of Spain for travel insurance purposes.
Alongside the other Canary Islands, Grand Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, Tenerife provides the ideal environment and climate or a short or long holiday, but can present some challenges in terms of access to, and cost of, healthcare.
Access to Healthcare
EU Citizens we’ll have reciprocal rights to healthcare in Spain, which will give them a good level of medical coverage, although there are numerous benefits to having some type of travel insurance as well.
Since the UK has left the European Union, UK residents are in a more complicated situation and would be well advised to take out some type of travel insurance to make sure they are covered for any medical emergencies and can be repatriated home if needed.
Brexit
Since Brexit, most UK residents can have what is known as a UK Global Health Insurance Card, UK GHIC, in order to access emergency or necessary care, in Tenerife, either for free or at a reduced cost.
Certain UK residents may be able to use a UK European Health Insurance Card, UK EHIC if they still have one that has not expired, all they have stayed in the UK after Brexit certain rights after the withdrawal agreement.
Travel Insurance
Most travel insurance policies can provide a wide range of medical benefits, as well as other areas of cover, either for a single trip or on an annual basis.
When taking out any type of travel insurance, it is important to make sure that the correct geographical area is selected as insurance companies will vary their terms and conditions depending on which countries are being visited.
If the trip is simply to Tenerife, then make sure the European option is enabled, other countries ask to be included as well and seek the broadest possible geographical area which is likely to be worldwide, with possible exclusions to certain countries which may have current domestic or international problems.
It’s always a good idea to check out government advice about what countries are safe to visit, especially as this can determine the validity of any travel insurance policy.
Government Travel and Health Advice
Most national governments will provide specific travel advice for people travelling overseas to most countries in the world.
This advice will include information on safety and security in specific countries, entry requirements of whether or not a visa is required, any specific travel warnings and the latest information on coronavirus and any other current medical-related issues.
All this advice is useful for anyone travelling abroad for any reason, for any length of time, and people should sign up for email alerts which are normally offered by the government website as well, say that they can be aware if any situation suddenly changes, and the government advisor changes as well.
From the point of view of travel insurance, the insurance company expects people to comply with any recommendations issued by the government that are contained on the government website.
This specifically and mainly applies to any government advice not to travel to a particular country, or a particular area of a country if there are real security concerns.
Failure to follow this advice could potentially validate someone’s travel insurance policy.
Different countries have different perspectives on the world, and their travel advice websites might differ depending upon their view of what is going on in another country.
For this reason, it is a good idea to look at other countries’ websites to see the advice they offer on the country that you may be visiting, the case the risk assessment or threat intelligence differs.
Below or some of the main English-speaking government websites, including where applicable health-related websites that may be part of a national government.
UK Government
- Foreign Travel Advice
- NHS Travel Health Advice
- NHS Travel Vaccinations
- Travel Insurance
- Help and Services around the World
Canada Government
- Travel Advice
- Travel Outside Canada
- Assistance Outside Canada
- Travel Health – Vaccinations, Health and Safety
USA Government
- Travel Advisories
- International Travel
- Travel Health Notices – CDC
- Medical tourism – CDC
- Traveler Advice – CDC
Australia Government
- Travel Advice – Smartraveller
- Travel Health
- Health Direct
- Travelling with Medicines
- Medical Treatment Overseas Program
- Yellow Fever Vaccination
- Travel Insurance
New Zealand Government
- Travel Advisories and Alerts
- Health and Travel
- When Things Go Wrong
- Travel Insurance
- Security Advice
South Africa
What is Medical Tourism
What is Medical Tourism
Travel information, news and resources regarding the world of medical tourism, with special focus on its relationship to travel insurance :
Medical tourism is the name given to the process of people seeking planned or elective medical treatments in a country outside of their own.
The process will not normally be covered by a standard travel insurance policy and is unlikely to be covered under someone’s health insurance policy unless specifically and directly arranged by the person’s insurance company, where some cover may be provided in very limited circumstances.
It is for the individual to plan the process and execute the whole procedure with all the risks and caveats that entails.
Types of Medical Tourism
Medical tourism can apply to a wide range of different procedures and can happen for many different reasons.
The main types of procedures can either be cosmetic or surgical or medical or a combination of all three. The most common procedures include dental care, cosmetic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, fertility treatments, cancer care etc.
Reasons for medical tourism
The chief reasons for someone seeking medical treatment overseas normally relate either to the cost of the treatment in their own country compared to another country, or the delay in waiting to get treatment in their own country as opposed to overseas.
For a lot of people in the USA, the main reason is often financial, whilst in other countries such as the UK people often see treatment abroad either because of the long waiting list for certain procedures, or the lack of provision of certain cosmetic treatments on the NHS.
Risks of Medical Tourism
There are many obvious risks associated with someone seeking medical treatment outside of their own country, but mostly these risks can be managed and minimized if proper time and planning are put into the research needed to make this happen safely.
The main risks/research areas include :
- Checking the clinical capabilities of the hospital or clinic providing the procedure
- Checking the qualifications and credentials of the clinical staff involved in the surgery or medical treatment.
- The level of risk of infectious diseases within the country where the procedure is taking place
- The general quality of care if it’s likely to be available to the individual both pre and post-op.
- The individual’s ability to communicate with doctors and nurses possibly in a different language.
- Whether or not proper aftercare can be provided in the country where the procedure is taking place, and if so for how long.
- How aftercare can be provided in the individual’s own country of residence
- The risks of air travel back to the country of residence after the procedure
- How any complications can be managed and dealt with if needed once the person has returned home.
Whilst this may seem a long list of potential problems, these concerns are based on many people’s experiences of seeking medical treatment overseas.
Medical tourism is, generally speaking, not something that should be undertaken lightly and should only be done with the utmost care and consideration.
Government is provide a lot of valuable sources of information, below are links to the CDC and the UK government’s advice on medical tourism.
Also are several articles that highlight the risks and benefits of medical tourism which can act as a useful guide for anyone considering going down this route.
See Also :
What is Health Insurance
What is Personal Accident Insurance