Somalia Expat Health Insurance
The Somali Republic, commonly referred to as Somalia, is located in the eastern most part of Africa, known as the horn of Africa. It shares its borders with Djibouti, the Gulf of Aden, Kenya, the Indian Ocean and Ethiopia. As Somalia is located so close to the equator it has hot weather all year around, periodic monsoon winds and irregular rain. Some of the highest temperatures in the world have been recorded in Somalia. The population of Somalia is approximately 9.9 million people and the official languages are Somali and Arabic.
Somalia is one of the poorest and most violent countries in the world. For this reason, travelling to Somalia is not advisable. The country has not had a central Government governing it since the Somali Civil war broke out in 1991. It has been categorised as a failed state. The different areas of Somalia are governed separately. Somaliland in the north western part of the country is a self declared sovereign state which is relatively stable. The north east of Somalia is called Puntland and is an autonomous self governing region. A large part of southern Somalia is controlled by the Islamist Al-Shabaab. The Transitional Federal Government, an internationally recognised body, governs parts of Somalia’s capital city and parts of the centre of the country.
The long standing lack of central Government in Somalia has led to Somali pirates becoming a major threat to international shipping in the area. Hijackings and acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia accounted for 92 percent of all ship seizures in 2010. In May 2011, 26 vessels and 522 hostages were being held for ransom by Somali pirates. This has prompted NATO to lead an anti piracy operation in the region. Travellers to Somalia should be extremely careful if arriving by ship.
Sadly in 2011, Somalia suffered its worst drought in six decades, which left millions of people on the verge of starvation resulting in tens of thousands fleeing to Kenya and Ethiopia in search of food.
Somalia is home to the longest coastline in the African continent as well as many plains, highlands and plateaus. The country earns its revenue from telecommunications, money transfer service companies and the exporting of livestock, bananas, hides and fish.
Somalia Health Care and Insurance
Medical facilities in Somalia are extremely limited as the country’s public healthcare system was largely destroyed during the civil war. Prior to the war breaking out, the Ministry of Health was responsible for healthcare in Somalia. The healthcare system was centralised and private medical practices were nationalized in 1972 by the President at the time. Much of the country’s budget was diverted towards military services leaving little for healthcare. Somalis became dissatisfied with the quality of the public health system and private health care returned in the late 1980s. The civil war lead to a high incidence of disease, inadequate nutrition and medical facilities in Somalia.
Access to medical facilities has subsequently been increased with informal medical providers replacing the former Government run facilities. New healthcare centres, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies have been established in Somalia offering low, or no cost consultations and hospital stays. Comparing statistics from after the cessation of the war with statistics from before war broke out, many health related aspects have improved including, life expectancy, the number of immunised infants, the number of low weight infants born, the infant mortality rate and the number of Doctors in the country.
Today Somalia’s public healthcare system is being rebuilt by the Ministry of Health and the Minister of Health. These facilities are still of a very limited standard compared to Western medical facilities. Following the civil war, Somalia’s healthcare system mainly consists of private medical facilities. Healthcare facilities are free for Somali nationals and in some instances may be free for visitors.
Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) Doctors without borders have been running medical facilities in Somalia since 1991 with the assistance of approximately 1,450 Somali staff and 104 international staff based in Nairobi. MSF is the main provider of free medical services in central and southern Somalia, including outpatient treatment, maternity care and surgery.
It is essential that travellers to Somalia purchase health insurance as medical facilities are very limited. Travellers should also bring sufficient medications with them as supplies are limited in Somalia. Medical facilities will usually require payment in cash regardless of whether a traveller has medical insurance. Serious medical problems may require a patient to be evacuated by air to a nearby country with the appropriate medical facilities. Air evacuation is expensive. Travellers should ensure that they have Somalia expat health insurance to cover air evacuation.
Somalia Travel Advice
Travellers to Somalia are at a high risk of contracting many diseases. Travel to Somalia is not recommended, however if travel is essential, travellers must take appropriate precautions to ensure that they do not contract diseases. Prevalent diseases in Somalia include diarrhoea, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid fever, cholera, dengue fever, malaria, rift valley fever (from domestic and farm animals or consumption of raw milk, it’s usually passed on by mosquitoes or from contact with animals or milk), schistosomiasis (from fresh water) and rabies. Somalia has the lowest rate of HIV infection on the African continent.
Travellers should ensure that their childhood vaccinations are up to date (measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT), polio etc). It is recommended that travellers have vaccinations for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, polio, yellow fever and rabies (if spending a large amount of time outdoors, especially in rural areas) before travelling. Anti malarial tablets must also be taken.
Drinking water in the main cities is sometimes chlorinated, however it may result in stomach upsets for some travellers. Water in more rural areas will most likely be contaminated and unsterilized. For these reasons it is advisable that only bottled water is consumed. Milk is unpasteurised in Somalia so dairy products should be avoided. Milk should be boiled before drinking, alternatively tinned or powdered milk should be purchased.
Somalia’s public telephone system was almost completely destroyed during the civil war. Public telecommunications companies offer limited fixed telephone line services in most major cities in Somalia. Mobile telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and other areas of Somalia. Travellers are advised to have a mobile telephone with them when travelling in Somalia in case of emergency and a land line telephone not being available for use.
The US Department of State issued a travel warning in December 2010 advising its citizens to avoid all travel to Somalia due to terrorist attacks in Somalia. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of Somalis and the displacement of approximately one million people. Kidnapping, murder, illegal road blocks, bandits and other violent attacks have been occurring in Somalia. Travellers should ensure that they check if there are any travel warnings before travelling to Somalia as travel warnings change frequently.
Somalia Expat Health Insurance
Somalia is one of the most violent countries in the world and travel is not recommended. If it is essential that you travel to Somalia it is vital that you take out medical insurance that will cover you for acts of war and terrorism and emergency evacuation. Not all insurers offer such medical insurance for Somalia, however Global Health Insurance work with international insurers that will provide cover and emergency evacuation to a nearby country if required. We can give you the peace of mind that you will be covered for medical costs if the need arises and have access to the best medical facilities close to Somalia. Expat health insurance plans we work with can offer extensive medical insurance benefits and also may be able to provide war and terrorism coverage, which is a necessity in Somalia. Please contact one of our highly skilled team members today for a free quotation.
Recent Questions / Comments:
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| Hi, We (Doanldson Europe BVBA in Belgium) are looking for a hosptal & medical insurance for one of our families (family van den Enden) we are relocating to Brockville, Canada. Up till now we haven't found an insurance compay willing to cover the pre-existing condition of Mrs. van den Enden which is bronchial asthma. Would you be able to offer us a solution with an insurance who is willing to cover also the pre-existing condition. Thanks in advance for your reply, Veerle Matthijs | |
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| do you have any insurance plan for Ivf treatment? Like if the first attempt is not successful then is there any plan to cover the next attempt? | |
