Isle of Man Guide

As the school holidays get underway, the Department of Health wishes to remind residents about the considerable importance of travel insurance against health costs which will be incurred if they fall ill whilst overseas.

The costs of being injured or falling ill overseas can be considerable, even for many emergency services which travellers might assume are free of charge.

For example, in some European countries you can be expected to pay for emergency ambulance services – often several hundred pounds - or for seeing a GP.

In others, you may be expected to pay the full costs of the drugs you receive, or for nursing care, or for ‘hotel costs’ such as food and drinks.

In addition, if a Manx resident is taken ill whilst travelling overseas, whether in the UK or elsewhere, neither the Manx Government nor the Government of the country they are visiting will be responsible for bringing them back to the Isle of Man.

Repatriation can be very expensive, especially if it involves use of an air ambulance which can cost upwards of £2,000 for a straightforward flight from the UK and £20,000 or more for a complex case.

Costs from elsewhere in Europe can be a great deal higher and from further afield can be a disaster for the uninsured.

The Department of Health therefore strongly recommends that all residents who travel off the Isle of Man should make sure that they have appropriate and adequate insurance in place – and that includes checking that insurances they have still cover them and their family.

The Department wishes to stress that the issue of adequate cover for travel to and within the United Kingdom is a completely separate issue to the Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement between the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom; with an extension to this agreement remaining in place until 30th September 2010.

Repatriation is not and never has been covered by the Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement. The Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK said:

For many years my Department has been strongly advising that people should be insured if they leave the Isle of Man, to cover the costs of any emergency healthcare they may need in the country they are visiting.

Nonetheless, each year we hear of people who have not taken out proper insurance, or whose insurance has lapsed and who have been badly caught out. It is very important that people understand that the risks of travelling uninsured are considerable and the effects can be very serious indeed.

The most important message I can give to travellers over the holiday season is that they check their insurance and properly insure themselves.

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