While traveling is typically a safe endeavor, you never know when an accident or sudden sickness can occur. In many countries health care might be somewhat limited or you might feel hesitant to take a chance with the local health care facilities.
From personal experience I can attest that many times the facilities are not only clean and easy to access, but less expensive than many clinics here in America. Getting tick bite fever in the remote areas of the Northern part of South Africa mandated that we quickly learn how to navigate health care abroad. We found a small emergency clinic where our wait time was 10 minutes, the examination room was the doctor’s office – a small table in the back of her office met her needs for seeing patients! The total cost was $35 including 2 prescriptions for an antibiotic pill and cream. That was not a copay, as many insurance companies will not have a relationship with such remote locations, that was the total bill. Here in the US, a walk-in clinic will easily cost you $150 – $200 just to see the doctor. Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised!
Here are some additional links to provide you some more information on healthcare and preventative measures:
- Travel Insurance
- Immunizations
- Purchasing medications abroad
To see a complete list of all of our travel health articles check out our Travel Health Article Page.
