There could be bad news in store for visitors to the Isle of Man should they need medical attention. According to the article “Health shock for Isle of Man residents”, there is to be a change to the healthcare reciprocal arrangement the island has with the UK. People from the UK visiting the Isle of Man will find they will personally be required to foot the bill for medical treatment as too will Isle of Man visitors to the UK.
The UK Government has recently stated they will end the reciprocal arrangement for healthcare and this will happen some time after 2010 although no definite date has been offered. The Manx government will then be responsible for its own funding from there on in.
Patients will be defined as a Manx patient or a UK one according to where their permanent home is situated and whereabouts their GP is situated. According to the article about 6,500 people are referred for treatment in the UK every year. This we are informed will continue with the Manx Government footing the bill as always to the tune of about six million pounds.
The bottom line is, that is you are from the UK mainland and you plan to visit the Isle of Man, you should ensure you are fully covered by your travel insurance, in case of emergencies. Similarly, if you are from the Isle of Man, you should do the same and take out adequate travel insurance in case the unthinkable happens while on holiday in the UK. If you or a loved one ends up being admitted into hospital for emergency treatment while on holiday and you have no insurance, the consequences could be devastating. Travel insurance – in this case, don’t leave home without it.
According to the article, we are yet to hear final proposals offering specifics, but students should not worry, as they will be unaffected as long as they are attending a course within the UK. It seems we have to watch this space for further points.
Tags: emergency treatment, isle of man, medical attention, travel insurance