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Benin Expat Health Insurance

The Republic of Benin is located in West Africa and is flanked by Nigeria to the west, Niger to the north, and Burkina Faso to the east, the country also has a short coastline along the Atlantic Ocean to its south. This is a historically poor region of the world and Benin is certainly not immune to poverty's effect. It is estimated that at least 30 per cent of the nine million population lives below the internationally recognized poverty level of $1.25 (US) per day. Despite the lack of funds, the government is proactive in its efforts to improve the standard of living for all of its citizens. While the average income is not expected to increase dramatically in the near future, the country’s economy is continuing to grow year on year. The stabilized economy, when pooled together with considerable foreign aid grants and international debt relief, gives Benin's government the capitol base needed to implement sorely needed initiatives in health care, infrastructure and education

Benin Healthcare System

After finally ousting a number of oppressive governmental regimes, the current democratic system is focusing on the implementation of a comprehensive socialized health care scheme. They have allocated 15 per cent of the national budget toward health care and are better than most other countries in appropriating funds from charitable organizations toward health care improvement. Working closely with groups such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), along with its neighboring West African countries, the Ministry of Health has compiled definite guidelines for continued progress in the battle against malnutrition, infant mortality, HIV/AIDS, and other communicable disease endemics in sub-Saharan Africa. Progress has already been made, as common diseases such as yaws, meningitis, sleeping sickness, malaria, tuberculosis and yellow fever have seen great reductions, and in some areas have been essentially eradicated. As party to the Bamako Initiative of 1987, Benin has seen significant reduction in their infant mortality rate, dropping to only six per cent from nearly 20 per cent in the early 1990s.

Credited with having the single largest impact in improvement to Benin's health is the decentralization of health care offerings. In real world terms, this means that Benin is trying to put the clinics and health care centers closer to much of the population. Starting with an utterly broken and ineffective system in the late 1980's, Benin has progressively reformed the way that clinics and hospitals administer treatment and deal with patient's needs. One factor in their improvement has been through the institution of an effective cost cutting plan, and passing more of the cost of materials such as pharmaceuticals and basic supplies on to the patient. This helps to limit the absurd mark-ups that more developed countries' facilities place on such materials. It has led to a steady importation of the needed drugs into the country independently, leaving the government with only the cost of management and operation of facilities. These actions have earned international praise and additional support from numerous institutions, and have made Benin an example to many developing countries.

A major hindrance to the success of the Benin health care system is that it is under utilized by the general public. It is estimated that 86 per cent of Beninois have a health care clinic within five kilometers of their home, yet only about 36 per cent take advantage of the care available to them. The theory is that while some cost is placed upon the patient, it is usually less than that charged by private “practitioners” who use a mixture of traditional medicine and voodoo witch doctors to “treat” illness. A lack of trust with the new health care facilities and more modern medical practices leads to the lower numbers patients. Progress in changing the mentality of the people is slow as over 30% Beninois are illiterate and many still never attend schools, which limits the reach for country-wide health campaigns.

While there has been progress, conditions still need to improvement. The public hospitals available are not nearly as modern as most in developed countries, and the current doctor to patient ration is about 1:19,000, leaving room for improvement from the 1:10,000 ratio suggested by the WHO. The other problem is that doctors are often located in close proximity to one another. A report found that over a third of all doctors practicing in Benin are employed at the National University Hospital in Cotonou. While this is great for those needing medical care in that area, it poses a problem to residents in other parts of the country in receiving quality healthcare. Additionally, quality private medical care in Benin, mostly due to such a low amount of potential clientele, is in very short supply. The approximately 40 hospitals, mostly located in and around Cotonou can handle most basic procedures and emergencies, but many more complex or critical care conditions may require repatriation to a visitor's homeland or air ambulance transfer to neighboring Nigeria for care.

Benin Medical Insurance

The health care in Benin is mostly administered through the national government, meaning that health care subsidies serve as Benin’s national health insurance plan. The health care is highly regulated by the government to keep costs down, which means, however, that the number of private Benin medical insurance companies is quite small and only covers about 0.01% of the population. This may prove problematic for expatriates looking to purchase health insurance domestically, but fortunately most reputable facilities, public and private, will honor coverage from international insurance companies as well as worldwide medical insurance coverage. The cost of care is not high compared to many developed countries, but without any form of Benin medical insurance, all foreigners are expected to pay for their treatment out of pocket, usually prior to receipt of care. For this reason, most government advisory boards recommend that all persons visiting Benin take out international traveler's medical insurance prior to leaving home.

Benin Traveler's Advice

Current estimates state that about 70 per cent of the population has access to safe drinking water and only about 40 per cent of the population has access to sanitary waste disposal. Due to this it is still advised that you filter or boil water before drinking. Street crimes including robbery and mugging are not uncommon especially along the coastal areas and areas that tend to have a high concentration of foreigners. Additionally, credit card and passport fraud are not unusual.

French is the language primarily spoken, along with a few local languages. English is not widely spoken, even by hospital personnel, which can make it difficult to communicate in need of urgent care. Recommended vaccinations include all childhood preventable diseases as well as adult booster shots and additional inoculations should include yellow fever, malaria, typhoid, hepatitis A and B, polio, meningitis, and rabies. It is recommended that all travelers bring their vaccination card with them when traveling to Benin.

Benin Expat Health Insurance

While much progress has been made, especially with regards to serious epidemic diseases, health risks are still a real possibility for all planning to visit or relocate to Benin. Expat health insurance or a Benin medical insurance plan may go a long way towards reducing some of these risks. As an expatriate, an International Health Insurance package may provide you the best coverage, as it will ensure quality health care while in the country or around the world, even providing cover for medical evacuations when satisfactory care is unavailable in the country you are in. Contact one of Global Health Insurance's advisors for a free expat health insurance quote and details about the many plans available for you, your family or travel group, whether you will be going to Benin or any other location around the world.