As the holiday season gets underway, the Department of Health once again wishes to remind residents of the importance of travel insurance against the health costs which are almost certain to be incurred if they fall ill whilst overseas. If a Manx resident is taken ill whilst travelling overseas they are likely to have to pay for some or all of their medical consultations, medicines and treatments. In addition, they will certainly have to pay for medical repatriation if that unfortunately becomes necessary. The only exception is the UK with which the Isle of Man has a Reciprocal Health Agreement but that does not, and never has, included repatriation. Even if there is a reciprocal agreement in place with the Isle of Man, that is likely to still result in the visitor having to make some payments, even if only the same charges as would be paid by a local resident – in the EU, for example, a local resident may have to pay ambulance costs, consultation fees, all or part of the costs of drugs, or the costs of hospital food and drink. Visitors will have to pay these too and, if a Manx resident, almost certainly the full cost of treatment. The Department therefore strongly recommends that all residents who travel off the Isle of Man should make sure that they have appropriate and adequate insurance in place, to include the cost of repatriation to the Isle of Man, from the UK which can approach ?20,000 if an air ambulance and medical team is required. From elsewhere in the world repatriation alone can run into tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds. It is particularly important to note that following some recent rule changes, EU nations may directly charge the EU country in which the visitor resides. This does not apply to Manx residents – the Isle of Man Government will not pay any charges incurred in EU countries and the responsibility will remain with the patient or their insurer. Minister for Health, David Anderson MHK said: “As in previous years, the Department is strongly advising that people should be insured if they leave the Isle of Man, to cover the costs of any emergency healthcare they need in the country they are visiting. Every year some people choose to ignore that advice, or do not check that they are insured, and end up in extremely costly and difficult situations. It remains extremely important that people understand the risks they face if they become ill whilst abroad, and insure themselves accordingly. There are a number of very good and competitively priced policies available from local companies.” - ENDS -