Sri Lanka Health Insurance

The biggest exporter of tea on the planet, the tear-drop shaped country that is Sri Lanka lies in the emerald waters of the Indian Ocean, separated from the southeastern tip of India by the Palk Straight. Despite scars from decades of civil war between the majority Sinhalese and a Tamil minority, a notable ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity exists within the estimated population of 21.3 million. The capital and the country’s main port, Colombo, boasted the best performing stock exchange within Asia in both 2009 and 2010, with its value almost tripling during that time. Tipped as one of the worlds’ fastest growing economies, Sri Lanka is second only to the Maldives within the South Asian region for per capita income. An improved security situation and increased focus on sustainable tourism has enticed many tourists to the country, who have become an important source of revenue.

The country reveals a vibrant combination of history, culture and stellar scenery. Unique experiences await curious travellers, with an abundance of historical monuments, thriving tea plantations, exotic wildlife, numerous national parks and lush forests, not to mention a welcoming and proud people. The country’s cricket team is of great pride to the nation and is always a welcome topic of conversation. English is widely spoken throughout the country, although Sinhala and Tamil are both official languages. Given there are risks to visitor’s health and security while in Sri Lanka, travel should be well planned and arrangements should include the purchase of expatriate medical insurance or international travel insurance to cover cost of treatment for illness, injury or replacement of stolen belongings.

Sri Lanka Health Care and Insurance

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health (MOH) is the main provider of public health services, delivering healthcare via primary medical units, district, provincial and national hospitals. The MOH reported a total of 1042 medical facilities operating in the country in 2010, including teaching, divisional and base hospitals. Sri Lanka’s healthcare system has been described by outside observers as comprehensive, and similarly designed upon the British health system; however constraints are obvious in resources. Medical personnel in Sri Lanka are well-trained but do, however, struggle with patient volumes and inconsistent availability of medical supplies and equipment. Despite a referral system being in place, an inefficient hospital admissions policy also means that bypassing the referral process is common, resulting in an under-utilized primary sector and increased pressure on secondary and tertiary care facilities, which consequently suffer from over-crowding.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also identified a need in Sri Lanka for an improved skill-mix of medical personnel and for a reduction in regional disparities in access to quality healthcare. The vast majority of Sri Lankan’s use public facilities, which currently face increased costs and decreased financial resources available for improvements to physical infrastructure. Few official mechanisms exist to regulate the system and protect patients, especially Sri Lanka’s poor, who lack affordable medical care and experience difficulty in accessing services. Beyond the capital, facilities are limited and only basic care of variable quality is available, hence the need for international health insurance to cover the cost of ambulatory transportation to facilities in the capital and associated treatment costs. Foreign aid agencies fulfill an important role in the country, providing technical input to the MOH and funding equipment and medications; especially within the Northern and Eastern provinces where lengthy conflict has damaged primary health facilities and resulted in large numbers of displaced people. Despite these challenges, the WHO notes that within the Asian region, on a statistical basis at least, Sri Lanka is one of a few countries with a high level of quality healthcare.

A well-equipped and rapidly growing private sector operates in Sri Lanka encompassing small, medium and larger facilities providing general medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology. Laboratory services and dispensing pharmacies also operate within this sector. Quality care is reportedly limited to Colombo however, with payment in cash for physician or hospital treatment expected up-front.

Most of the medical professionals working within this sector are also employed in public clinics or hospitals, which raises regulatory issues for the private sector and intensifies staff shortages for public facilities. Travel advisories note that serious medical conditions are still likely to require repatriation or evacuation to nearby Thailand or Singapore, where more advanced facilities are available. Advisories also recommend that travellers who take regular medications, carry enough with them for the duration of the trip as the equivalent drugs may be of unreliable quality or simply unavailable in Sri Lanka. Because either out-of-pocket payment or confirmation of insurance cover is necessary for admission to private facilities, travellers are also advised to arrange Sri Lanka health insurance which includes cover for payment of hospital bills, ground and air ambulance transportation, evacuation to country of origin and 24 hour telephone assistance.

Sri Lanka Travel Insurance Concerns

Sri Lanka is considered a high risk area for contracting a major infectious disease and pre-exposure vaccinations are recommended by the US based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to mitigate the risk of contracting Hepatitis A & B, Japanese Encephalitis and Typhoid.

Some visitors might also be affected by the Sri Lankan Government’s requirement for those having departed or transited countries which pose a risk of Yellow Fever to provide proof of vaccination.

Rabies is also known to occur in Sri Lanka, and therefore a cautionary approach to contact with animals should be adopted. The CDC also recommends a pre-exposure vaccination for Rabies before arriving in Sri Lanka. Significant improvements in the eradication of vaccine-preventable diseases have been made within the country, however mosquito-borne diseases remain a threat to public health. Severe outbreaks of Dengue Fever and Malaria occur throughout Sri Lanka and the World Health Organization recommends travellers in high-risk areas reduce the risk of exposure by wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellant often, and staying in well-screened or air-conditioned accommodation. An outbreak resulting in over 8,600 cases of Dengue was reported in 2010, being a significant increase in case numbers year on year. These commonly occurring threats to travellers’ health highlight the need for Sri Lanka medical insurance to be arranged prior to arriving in the country to cover the costs of associated treatment.

Despite a significantly improved security situation since the start of 2011, Sri Lanka still has a widespread military presence, and politically motivated violence poses a risk to personal security. Travel advisories from developed nations advise that there is ‘extreme risk’ to one’s security in the Northern areas of the country and all travel to the region should be avoided. Eastern areas are considered ‘high risk’ and travellers are recommended to avoid non-essential travel. Travellers could encounter road closures, which can be initiated without warning. There is also ‘some risk’ to personal security in other areas of the country, including in the capital, and foreign nationals are advised to monitor events closely and remain informed about deteriorating levels of safety. Demonstrations and large public gatherings should be avoided.

Sri Lanka Expat Health Insurance

An extensive network of healthcare facilities exists in Sri Lanka. However, the standard and quality of care available is still of a level attributed to developing nations. Evacuation to another country such as Singapore or Thailand is possible in the event of a severe illness or injury, of which comprehensive medical insurance will be necessary to cover associated costs. Cover can be arranged specifically for your travel by Expat Medical Insurance, which provides globally transferable policies for a range of medical situations, including emergency medical evacuation, doctors’ fees, specialist services and medications. To arrange a medical insurance plan which will guarantee you access to healthcare wherever you or your family travel in the world, contact an Expat Medical Insurance consultant to discuss your specific needs.