Belize Health Insurance

Belize is located in Central America. It borders Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean Sea and was formerly a British colony (known as British Honduras) until it gained independence in 1981. The country is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and is divided into six districts. The population of the country is estimated to be approximately 321,000. The capital city is Belmopan and the largest city is Belize City.

Tourism is the country’s biggest source of revenue. The country also earns income from agriculture, construction, merchandising, and has recently discovered untapped crude oil supplies. Sugar accounts for almost half of the country’s exports and the banana industry is Belize’s biggest employer. Many tourists visit Belize every year as part of a cruise as many ships frequent the country’s shores. Large numbers of tourists are threatening the environment that they come to see as Belize doesn’t have adequate infrastructure in place to deal with them. Steps are being put in place to ensure that the environment is safeguarded for future tourists to see.

The climate in Belize is tropical with warm weather and varying levels of humidity throughout the year. The rainy season is from May to November and the dry season from February to May. The country is prone to hurricanes from June to November which have devastated it in the past. Belize offers tourists many outdoor activities including fishing, scuba diving, caving, cave tubing, snorkelling, kayaking, hiking and bird watching.

Belize is seen as a tax haven and playground of the rich. Sadly, there is a high divide between the rich and the poor with 4 out of 10 people living in poverty. The Government aims to reduce poverty and inequality with the assistance of international aid.

Belize Health Care and Insurance

The cost of medical treatment in Belize is significantly higher than in other Central American countries, but less than the likes of United States or Europe. The country has both public and private healthcare facilities. However, there is a large difference between the standard of healthcare offered by the public and private facilities. The private facilities are of a much better standard, but also have higher costs; a Belize health insurance is normally required to receive private healthcare services in the country. Visitors to Belize should ensure that they have medical insurance so they have access to the best medical facilities if the need arises. In 2009 only 3.3 percent of the country’s GDP was spent on health care.

The country has a shortage of Doctors. In 2009 there were only 0.828 Doctors per 1,000 people and 1.1 hospital beds per 1,000 people. The public medical facilities are extremely limited and they generally require payment in cash for their services. The majority of the Doctors in Belize are foreigners who were educated overseas to a high standard.

The Government is making an effort to improve the medical facilities in Belize. However, they still have a long way to go before the medical facilities in the rural areas catch up to those in the Central Health Region.

If you require medical assistance while travelling in Belize we recommend the following facilities. Belize City is home to a private hospital called Belize Medical Associates which provides a good standard of care. La Loma Luz Hospital in San Ignacio offers 24 hour emergency services as well as primary care. However, both facilities do not offer care for complicated problems. In the event of an emergency requiring complex medical treatment, the patient may be required to be evacuated to a country that can offer more adequate services. The cost of emergency medical evacuation is expensive so travellers should ensure that they have medical insurance that will cover the cost.

Most of the healthcare funding in Belize is targeted towards Belize City and its surrounding areas. Therefore medical facilities may be unavailable in rural areas and visitors may need to be transported to Belize City, or medically evacuated to a nearby country, for health care. Belize does have a hyperbaric recompression chamber for divers, which is located on Ambergris Caye.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) is responsible for the healthcare services in Belize. It developed national Belize health insurance (NHI) in 2003 to provide free health care to all Belizeans. Currently NHI covers approximately 36,000 people. NHI is funded by Social Security Board (SSB) which employees and employers compulsorily contribute. NHI offers a wide range of free services to Belizeans and in some cases will cover the cost of the patient being transported to nearby Mexico, Guatemala or the United States to receive treatment for complicated conditions.

It is planned that NHI will be extended so that free healthcare can be provided to all Belizeans. The NHI system is not available to visitors to Belize so visitors need to ensure that they have travel insurance to cover the cost of any medical care that they require.

Belize is divided into four health regions, i) the Northern Health Region which has two public hospitals (Northern Regional Hospital and Corozal Community Hospital), 11 health centres and 16 health posts, ii) the Central Health Region which has the public Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and two private facilities (Belize Medical Associates Limited and the Belize Healthcare Partners), iii) the Western Health Region which has two hospitals (Western Regional Hospital and San Ignacio Hospital) and 16 medical clinics and iv) the Southern Health Region which has 2 hospitals (Southern Regional Hospital and Punta Gorda Hospital) and four primary care providers.

Belize Travel Insurance Concerns

The only vaccination that visitors are required to have to enter Belize is yellow fever, if they are arriving into Belize from a country that is infected with yellow fever, such as South America or Africa. Travellers to Belize, except those only visiting Belize City, should ensure that they take anti malarial tablets before and after their visit. The World Health Organisation recommends that all travellers be vaccinated against diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), polio and hepatitis B, regardless of where they are travelling to.

Chagas disease which can be contracted from insect bites is prevalent in the rural areas of the country. Travellers should ensure that they protect themselves by wearing long pants and tops, using an insect repellent that contains DEET and sleeping with a net over their bed. Dengue fever, leishmaniasis (which can be contracted from sand flies in the mountains and jungles), leptospirosis (from bodies of fresh water), HIV/Aids and typhoid fever are also prevalent in Belize. A vaccination against typhoid fever is recommend and vaccinations against rabies if you will be spending a great deal of time outdoors.

Travellers should ensure that they take adequate prescription medication with them when travelling to Belize. Although pharmacies are well supplied, medications are expensive and not everything is consistently available.

Visitors should be aware that public buses, water taxis and land taxis are often poorly maintained and lack safety equipment. Only licensed taxis with green coloured number plates should be used. Travellers who wish to take part in diving should check that the instructor is licensed and the equipment is properly maintained. Access to ambulances and emergency medical equipment is limited.

Serious violent crime (often by gangs and relating to drug trafficking), pick pocketing and purse snatching does occur so travellers should be watchful of their belongings, particularly in tourism areas. If you are the victim of theft, do not resist the thief as this could result in you suffering an injury. It is advisable to travel in groups and only during daylight hours. The emergency telephone number in Belize is 911.

Belize Expat Health Insurance

If you choose to travel or relocate to Belize we recommend that a comprehensive medical insurance policy as you will not be covered by NHI and medical treatment can be costly in Belize. Travellers with serious medical conditions may need to be medically evacuated to nearby Mexico, Guatemala the United States which is costly. At Expat Medical Insurance we can assist you with selecting a medical insurance package that meets you needs and includes such benefits as specialist visits, Doctors visits, hospitalisation, maternity care and medical evacuation. Please contact us today for a no obligation free expatriate medical insurance quotation and one of our highly trained professionals will provide you with a range of options.