Having a medical emergency is one of the greatest nightmares one can face when traveling overseas. Many from the United Kingdom have gotten used to having the National Health Service but when outside the country, they have been unable to cope with emergencies when on the road.
There are many discussions online that have been placed in a situation requiring a medical emergency overseas. Adapting to your environment and learning the emergency services in the area where you are located. The risk is increased with availability or unavailability of emergency services. Often mentioned is Australia as it is wide and expansive and the most concentration of emergency services is in the metropolitan areas.
It is important that one keeps a healthy diet and be safe when traveling overseas. Avoiding exotic food may be one of the ways to keep safe. You also need to hydrated at all times to prevent getting a heat stroke. You also need to be careful of what you drink when overseas as the water may not sit well in your stomach. Access is also very important be it telephone access or even travel access to the nearest medical facility is imperative.
Another important aspect of healthcare overseas is the costs of attendant to an emergency. Medical coverage in your home country is often not extended into the country where you travel. Another issue would be the quality of medical services in the host country. This is most important in Australia, as this is a totally new domain to handle medical emergencies very much different from the United Kingdom.
Many online forums suggest that health insurance coverage is one of the ways to be amply protected when moving to another country. The healthcare system in Australia is very different and it is important that medical costs are covered when you do meet an emergency. Thus having medical insurance would be your healthcare in Australia.
The healthcare in Australia is free with universal access to those qualified for coverage. The funding for the system comes from a 1.5% tax levy from all taxpayers and an additional 1% from high-income earners. There is also a private health insurance system funded by health insurance organizations. You need to find out the fine print though especially the premiums and coverage so as not to be disappointed when you want to avail of the insurance coverage.
A perusal of the online discussions made seem to be light hearted but much of the discussions are often serious and deep. It is important that you know the emergency and medical services access numbers in the area where you are currently located. When Down Under, you need to be well aware of the system of healthcare in Australia in order to be safe and sound. This knowledge would make the difference between life and death. Also, you need to be amply covered by insurance so that you need not have issues on the medical costs for your emergency.
The best way to avoid problems when overseas is given in Australia Forum, “You also need to be proactive in protecting yourself when moving to another country such as Australia. Eating good and clean food is essential in keeping healthy when in another country.” If you do this, you will be safe and sound when overseas.