Trinidad and Tobago Expat Health Insurance
Trinidad and Tobago is a country made of two main islands in the Caribbean. The larger island is Trinidad which is home to approximately 96 percent of the country’s population and takes up 93 percent of the country’s total area of 5,128 square kilometres. The island of Tobago accounts for approximately 5.8 percent of the country’s total land. The remainder of the boundary of Trinidad and Tobago is made up of smaller landforms including Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande, Little Tobago, St Giles Island and Chacachacare.
Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from Britain in 1976. During its history the country has also been controlled by Spain, France, Courland and Semigallia (now Latvia) and the Netherlands. Trinidad and Tobago’s closest neighbours are Venezuela, Grenada and the Lesser Antilles. It is included as part of the West Indies. The country’s official language is English, however the main spoken languages are Trinidadian and Tobagonian Creole. The capital city is the Port of Spain and the population is approximately 1.2 million people. The island of Trinidad is divided into 14 regional corporations and municipalities and the island of Tobago is one region.
The country is very wealthy thanks to its large oil and gas reserves. The economy of Trinidad and Tobago is predominantly industrial producing petroleum, natural gas and petrochemicals. Following the recent oil boom, exports of oil and gas now account for approximately 80 percent of all exports. The country is currently producing two thirds of the liquefied natural gas which is imported in the United States. The Government is aiming to turn the country’s main exports back to sugar and agriculture including citrus and cocoa in the future.
The terrain of Trinidad and Tobago is a mixture of mountains and plains. The weather is tropical with two seasons, the first half of the year is the dry season and the second half of the year from June to December is the wet season. Tobago is the smaller relaxed island out of the two and attracts divers to its first class coral wonderlands and nature lovers. Sun seekers are also attracted to Trinidad and Tobago’s palm tree lined beaches.
The country is well known for its Carnival which is held every, year usually in February or March, on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. This event is the highlight of the country’s cultural calendar and includes calypso and soca music, musical competitions, street parades, costumes, limbo competitions and stick fighting. In fact, Trinidad and Tobago is the birthplace of the steel pan musical instrument, calypso and soca music and the limbo.
Trinidad and Tobago Health Care and Insurance
Healthcare is available free of charge in Trinidad and Tobago to everyone including non nationals. The Ministry of Health governs the health care system while the Regional Health Authorities is responsible for providing healthcare services, following the introduction of the Regional Health Authorities Act No. 5 in 1994. The healthcare system is funded by the Government and taxpayers and operates on a walk in basis. The Government has recently launched a programme to assist with the management of chronic conditions (those that can only be managed not cured) by offering free prescription medications and other pharmaceuticals to sufferers.
The country has general hospitals, regional hospitals and health centres. Health centres focus on prevention and treatment of common diseases and injuries, basic emergency services and provide referrals to specialists and hospitals. The country also has several modern private hospitals which have more extensive facilities. When seeking care at a private medical facility, even emergency care, patients may be expected to show that they can pay for the cost before treatment will be given. As medical treatment costs can be expensive, it is recommended that visitors take out comprehensive medical insurance.
The emergency telephone number in Trinidad and Tobago is 811. Accident and emergency departments are located at the general hospitals in Port of Spain (in the capital city, telephone 868 623 2951) and San Fernando (telephone: 868 652 3581), the regional hospitals in Sangre Grande (telephone: 868 668 2273) and Scarborough, the Point Fortin Area Hospital (868 648 3281) and the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (telephone: 868 645 4673).
To request the public ambulance service, telephone 990. Travellers should be aware that the ambulance service in Trinidad and Tobago is extremely limited with only a small number of ambulances, many of which are lacking standard life saving equipment. Travellers requiring a blood transfusion while in Trinidad and Tobago may be asked to arrange for a donation of the same amount of blood to be made to the medical facility.
The Port of Spain general hospital also offers surgical services, gynaecology, obstetrics, dentistry, intensive and neonatal care. The Roxborough Medical Clinic has a recompression facility for divers and is located on the Northeast coast of the island of Tobago. Many expatriates choose to go to the St Claire Medical Centre (telephone: 809 628 1451) which is a private medical clinic in Port of Spain and offers better facilities than the basic public facilities.
Trinidad and Tobago Travel Advice
Travellers to Trinidad and Tobago should ensure that their childhood vaccinations are kept up to date, including vaccinations against measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), diphtheria/pertussis/ tetanus and polio. Visitors should also have vaccinations against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and typhoid. Those visitors who are travelling further than the urban areas of the capital city of Port of Spain and the island of Tobago should considering being vaccinated against yellow fever. Yellow fever has not been reported in humans since the 1970’s however monkey cases occurred in January 2009, proving that the country is still contaminated. Proof that you have had a yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for those visitors who arrive from countries that are infected with yellow fever.
There have been reports of deaths and many suspected cases of dengue fever in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010 and 2011. Travellers should take precautions to ensure that they are not bitten by mosquitoes which spread the disease. Visitors should wear long tops and pants and apply insect repellent containing the active ingredient DEET. The rate of HIV/Aids is high in the Caribbean including Trinidad and Tobago and visitors should take measures to ensure that they do not contract it.
Visitors to Trinidad and Tobago should not wear military or camouflage clothing as it is illegal. People caught wearing such clothing will be detained by Customs and have the clothing confiscated.
Trinidad and Tobago is a transhipment point for the drug cocaine. This has lead to increased drug and gang related violence in the country including an increase in the number of murders. Such crime was deterring tourists from visiting the country so the Government reintroduced capital punishment in 1999 as a deterrent. In 2005 the capital Port of Spain experienced four bombings for which the culprits have not yet been identified or arrested. Non violent demonstrations do occur occasionally in Trinidad and Tobago and should be avoided by travellers.
Tourists should be careful in central Port of Spain particularly after dark as pick pocketing and armed assaults do occur. Travelling from the airport after dark also poses some danger to tourists who have been followed and become the victims of armed robbery in the airport parking lot, on the motorway and outside residences. Tourists have also been attacked within tourist and expatriate residences and on isolated beaches. Travellers should ensure that they stay somewhere with security in Trinidad and Tobago, avoid wearing flashy jewellery and not leave valuable belongings unattended on beaches.
Traditional taxis are not available in Trinidad and Tobago so visitors must use private taxis which have number plates that begin with “H”. Travellers should ensure that they only use taxis which will take them directly to their destination without picking up additional passengers along the way who may pose a risk to safety. The fare should also be agreed upon before departing as private taxis do not have metres.
Trinidad and Tobago Expat Health Insurance
While medical care is free for travellers to Trinidad and Tobago, the public medical facilities are very basic. Travellers seeking treatment at private hospitals and clinics will need to prove that they can pay for the services before assistance will be given, even in an emergency. To ensure that you have access to the best medical facilities if the need arises, we recommend that if you are traveling or moving to Trinidad and Tobago, expat health insurance or comprehensive travel health insurance be taken out to protect against potential medical bills. At Global Health Insurance we specialise in international health insurance and can help you choose an insurance package tailored to your specific needs during your time in Trinidad and Tobago. Expat health insurance plans we can offer you will have additional optional cover benefits available, such as maternity, dental, and specialist treatment coverage. Please contact us today for a free quotation from many of the world’s leading insurance providers.
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