Benin Health Insurance

The Republic of Benin, previously known as Dahomey (it was renamed in 1975), is located in West Africa. Its neighbours include Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger. The capital city is Porto Novo and the largest city is Cotonou. The official language is French. However, a number of different indigenous languages are spoken. Benin gained independence from France in 1960. The country is divided into 12 departments and is home to approximately 9.3 million people. The majority of the population live in the South of the country.

Benin was known as the “Slave Coast” in the 17th century. However, the slave trade was later abolished. Benin offers many historical sites for visitors to see. The ruins of palaces and temples can be seen in Abomey and good nightlife and shopping in Cotonou. Benin is the birth place of voodoo and is still a part of life in the country. Shops can be seen selling voodoo products. The wildlife parks in Pendjari are home to crocodiles, lions and elephants and worth paying a visit to.

The country is a tropical one with hot and humid weather. It has two rainy seasons and two dry seasons. The rainy seasons are from April to July and from September to November. The dry seasons run from December to April, when a dry wind blows from the Sahara and from July to September. The best time of the year to visit Benin is from November to February when the humidity is low, the temperature is moderate and the weather is dry.

Benin is highly dependent on agriculture with the majority of the population earning their income from subsistence farming. Cotton production accounts for 40 percent of GDP and approximately 80 percent of the country’s exports. Other exports include cashew nuts, shea butter, textiles, palm products and seafood. The services industry including transportation, trade, transit and tourism, is also is large.

Approximately 37 percent of the population live below the poverty line and many people are illiterate. Workplaces have ongoing problems including wage inequality for female workers, child labour and forced labour. Benin’s population is young as the life expectancy age is only 59.84 years.

Benin Health Care and Insurance

Medical facilities in Benin are poor and very limited, especially in the rural areas. If you require medical treatment for a complex medical problem you may need to be transported to a nearby country with medical facilities equipped to deal with the problem. The cost of medical evacuation is significant, so travellers to Benin should have travel health insurance to cover the expenses should such a situation arise. In the 1980’s only a small number of the population had access to health care and the infant mortality rate was high. This has been changed following the Bamako Initiative which introduced community based health care, making it more efficient and equitable.

In 2009 only 4.2 percent of Benin’s GDP was spent on health care. In 2008 there were only 0.059 Doctors per 1,000 people and 0.5 hospital beds per 1,000 people in 2005. Medical services in Benin can be expensive and payment is usually required to be made in cash in advance.

The main referral medical facility in Benin is the National University Hospital in Cotonou. Other recommended medical facilities in Cotonou are Clinique Polyvalente Mahouna (telephone: 229 30 14 35) and Clinique les Graces (telephone: 229 32 11 71). A recommended medical facility in the capital city Porto Novo is Clinique Louis Pasteur (telephone: 229 21 22 22).

Benin Travel Insurance Concerns

Crime does take place in South Benin with muggings occurring at all times of the day and night in Cotonou, particularly on the beaches and in tourist areas. Muggers often use force and are frequently armed with weapons, so victims of muggings should not resist the attacker. Travellers should safe guard their personal belongings and not walk round Cotonou at night time. Taxis are available for those wanting to head out in the evenings, they should travel in groups. The currents in the sea are particularly strong so tourists should take care when swimming in the ocean.

Benin does not have a general emergency telephone number. In the event of a medical emergency, visitors should telephone Service d’Aide Medicale Urgence (SAMU) on 30 46 52.

Visitors to Benin are at risk of contracting hepatitis A, typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, meningococcal meningitis and rabies. It is recommended that tourists to Benin be vaccinated against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, polio, meningococcal meningitis (if visiting between December and June) and rabies (if you will be spending a large amount of time outdoors). Childhood vaccinations including measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) and diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus should also be updated before travelling anywhere in the world.

A yellow fever vaccination is required for all visitors to Benin who are over the age of 1 year. Proof that you have had the vaccination may need to be shown upon arrival into the country. Anti malarial tablets should be taken before, during and after visiting Benin. The drug chloroquine is not an effective anti malarial drug in Benin and should not be taken. Visitors should take precautions to ensure that they are not bitten by insects including wearing long clothing, using an insect repellent that contains DEET and sleeping with a mosquito net over the bed.

Not all medications are available in Benin so travellers should carry sufficient supplies of prescription medications with them when travelling to Benin. Most Beninese awake before dawn and work until noon, when they take a 2 to 2 ½ hour siesta before continuing working. The tap water is only safe to drink in the city of Cotonou. However, it is treated with chlorine and is not to everybody’s taste. Bottled water is available for purchase. The most common cause of traveller’s illness for tourists to Benin is e coli from undercooked meat. If you are brave enough to eat the street food, make sure it is served very hot to kill any bacteria.

Benin Expat Health Insurance

If you choose to travel to Benin we recommend that you purchase medical insurance as the medical facilities are very limited and expensive. In the case of a medical emergency you may need to be transported to a nearby country with better medical facilities. The cost of emergency medical evacuation can be very expensive. At Expat Medical Insurance we can assist you with selecting a medical insurance package that meets you needs and covers medical evacuation. Please contact us today for free international medical insurance quotation from some of the world’s leading global health insurance providers.