East Timor Expat Health Insurance
East Timor achieved independence from Portugal in 1975 and Indonesia in 2002, but the poor island nation is still recovering economically from a long war of independence from Indonesia. The official languages of East Timor are Tetum and Portuguese, although Indonesian and English are common working languages. Interestingly, “Timor” is derived from the Indonesian word for “east”, so if directly translated, the country would be called “East East”. The mountainous island has a tropical climate and with rainy and dry seasons, with forested areas and coastlines with coral reefs. Formerly an important sandalwood exporter, East Timor, but this was largely destroyed in the struggle for independence. Coffee export and petroleum exploration are currently major potential sources of revenue for the country.
East Timor Healthcare System
Although life expectancy in East Timor is relatively low by global standards – 64 years for males, 69 years for females – given its history of violent political upheaval and poverty during which most of the public health care infrastructure was destroyed, it is perhaps surprising that the average lifespan is this long.
While total annual health expenditure represents a relatively large portion of GDP at 12.3 percent, East Timorese per capita spending is only USD120 annually, or about two thirds of the Southeast Asian average. 71 percent of spending comes from state spending, most of the remainder is out-of-pocket spending or from foreign aid. There is no locally provided private health insurance in East Timor.
East Timor’s health care workforce is seriously understaffed. There is only one doctor per 10,000 East Timorese, compared to a regional average of 5.4 – and even this is very low by developed country standards. There are 21.9 nurses and midwives per 10,000 East Timorese. The government has set up a Faculty of Health Sciences at the national university, and conducts training for medical doctors with cooperation from the government of Cuba. Furthermore, there is a serious shortage of pharmaceutical drugs and medical equipment; access to care in remote rural areas is seriously problematic.
Overseen by the national Ministry of Health of East Timor, health care is administered on a district level basis. Overall, there are 65 community health centers, 183 health posts and 162 mobile health clinics providing primary care.
Communicable diseases are a serious health risk in East Timor, with 744 of every 100,000 inhabitants affected with tuberculosis. Malaria, dengue and other tropical diseases as well as HIV / AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases are also major health issues in East Timor.
Maternal mortality rates are alarmingly high in East Timor, with 370 fatalities for every 100,000 live births, more than one and a half times the regional average. Less than one third of births are attended by a skilled health care professional, although this figure masks serious inequity; only 11 percent of the poorest quintile of East Timorese have a skilled health care provider attending their birth. Antenatal and infant care indicators also are far below regional standards.
In terms of public health investment, East Timor has steadily increased access to improved drinking water during the past decade. Now, slightly less than two thirds of East Timorese have access to clean water. Similarly, while access to improved sanitation has also increased over the past decade, it is still only available to less than half of the population, with much lower figures in rural areas.
Being largely dependent on foreign aid for the provision of health care, East Timor’s Ministry of Health has drafted a “Country Cooperation Strategy” with the WHO outlining a roadmap for the years 2009 – 13. The document has listed six strategic objectives: strengthening health information management; prevention and control of diseases, particularly communicable and preventable ailments; reducing child mortality; strengthening technical capacity and skill; partnership and coordination of external aid sources; and improving emergency preparedness.
East Timor Travel Advice
Despite these infrastructure shortcomings, East Timor is increasingly a destination for adventurous travelers and expatriates working in the burgeoning oil exploration and other industries; as well as aid workers from various organizations. However, travelling to a tropical country recovering from war carries serious health risks. Precautions are advised.
Updating routine immunizations four to six weeks before travel to East Timor is strongly recommended. Travelers visiting rural areas may consider getting vaccinations against Japanese encephalitis and rabies, too.
Like many tropical destinations, East Timor is prone to outbreaks of malaria. Wearing insect repellent and long-sleeved clothing, as well as sleeping under a mosquito net is strongly advised. Travelers may consider anti-malarial pills on a preventative basis. Chikungunya, plague and other insect-borne diseases are very common to the region. Measles and polio outbreaks have also occurred in neighboring Indonesia.
Of course the most common traveler’s health issue is diarrhea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal distress. In most cases, these can be prevented by avoiding raw and undercooked food and only drinking bottled water. Automobile and motor scooter accidents are also a major problem for visitors to East Timor, which has several mountainous winding roads, and traffic driving to the left.
East Timor Expat Health Insurance
While travel to an exotic destination can be interesting for the tourist, lucrative for the business traveler and rewarding for the aid worker, but it can come with its own set of risks. Often times, poverty and a limited health care system means that when a medical emergency arises air evacuation to a center of medical excellence may be required from East Timor. Expat health insurance will often cover the cost of such emergency medical evacuation, which can reach more than USD100,000. Having a good international insurance plan may make the difference not only between life and death, but between bankruptcy and financial health.
Fortunately, Global Health Insurance has an experienced team of advisors dedicated to giving you the very best international health insurance plans on the market. There are myriad options available for expats globally or in East Timor, expat health insurance policies can provide optional benefits, covering alternative medicine, maternity, dental care and air evacuation. Contact a Global Health Insurance advisor today to find out what plan best suits you, your family, your tour group or your company.
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