While the majority of expats have found wealth1 and happiness2 since moving abroad, it seems the grass isn't always greener for health. Almost half (44%) of expatriates believe the standard of healthcare is worse in their new country, according to a survey by leading expatriate health insurer, Bupa International. In fact, one in five - equivalent to around 38 million expats3 worldwide - believe that that their health has deteriorated since moving abroad.
The research also shows that one in five expats say they would rather be treated outside their country of origin or current residence if they fell seriously ill. The countries topping the table of where people would most like to be treated given the choice are Singapore (23%), followed by the USA (15%) South Africa (10%), and the UK (10%).
Dr Sneh Khemka, medical director for Bupa International said:These findings are very interesting - while Singapore is seen to have the best healthcare by nearly a quarter of expats, the truth is that while there are many excellent hospitals in Singapore, the quality of healthcare available there varies, like it does in every country around the world. Therefore, it's very important to have access to expert medical advice when living abroad to be sure that you are going to be directed to the most appropriate facilities, whichever country you're in. At Bupa International, we know that becoming ill or injured can be particularly worrying when you are living far away from home. We also know where the best hospitals are, so we can provide local advice to our customers and arrange rapid access to the best treatment locally, in the nearest country with available facilities, or even back home, wherever that may be. We offer customers access to more than 200,000 medical providers worldwide and can settle bills directly with over 7,500 hospitals and clinics. We also have a worldwide emergency medical centre staffed by a team of experienced, multi-lingual advisers who offer customers support and advice 24 hours a day, every day. For example, we recently helped a customer who was involved in a severe accident in the Bahamas, evacuating him by air ambulance to the nearest centre of medical excellence in Miami for emergency treatment.
For more information about Bupa International, visit www.bupa-intl.com.
Ends
The Bupa International expatriate survey was carried out from 29 March to 24 April 2010. The survey was completed by 1,034 expatriates via an online survey.
1 81% of expatriates say that their financial
position is better since they moved (39% say they have much more
money now and 42% have slightly more money).
2 50.5% of expatriates say they feel happiest in their
current country of residence
3 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social
Affairs, Population Division (2009). Trends in International
Migrant Stock: The 2008 Revision.
http://esa.un.org/migration/p2k0data.asp
According to UN statistics, more than 210 million people will be
living outside of their home country in 2010. 19% of Bupa
International customers say their health has deteriorated since
moving abroad, equivalent to 19% of total expatriate population =
38,000,000.
Contact Us
Jo Hudson
Bupa Corporate Affairs
Tel : +44 (0) 20 7 656 2273
Email : joanne.hudson@bupa.com
About Bupa International
Bupa International pioneered expatriate health insurance in 1971
and today is one of the leading expatriate health insurers in the
world. It provides international health insurance in 190 countries
to some of the world's largest and most well-known companies. It
offers customers access to more than 200,000 medical providers
worldwide and can settle bills directly with over 7,500 hospitals
and clinics.
The company is headquartered in Brighton, England, and has a worldwide emergency medical centre staffed by a team of experienced, multi-lingual advisers and offer customers support and advice 24 hours a day, every day.
Bupa International has achieved a number of accolades over the last 39 years, including winning the Queen's Award for Enterprise for its achievements in international trade three times.
About Bupa
Bupa's purpose is to help people lead longer, healthier, happier
lives.
A leading international healthcare group, we offer personal and company health insurance, run care homes for older people and hospitals, and provide workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services, including health coaching, and home healthcare.
With no shareholders, we invest our profits to provide more and better healthcare. We are committed to making quality, patient-centred, affordable healthcare more accessible in the areas of wellness, chronic disease management and ageing.
Employing over 50,000 people, Bupa has operations around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, New Zealand and the USA, as well as Hong Kong, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, India, China and across Latin America.
For more information, visit www.bupa.com.
