Health Care Considerations Before Moving Abroad
Are you planning to move overseas? Then health care should be one of the things you consider before making an international move. After moving to two countries I’m sharing some things you should keep in mind in regards to your health care before moving abroad.
Disclaimer - I am not a doctor. Nothing I say should be taken as medical advice. I am only giving my opinion on health matters that were important to me before moving abroad and health issues I noticed as an expat for 7 years. Please discuss any health matters with your personal physician.
Planning to move abroad? Check out this packing checklist I created with everything you need to make your new country feel like home.
Important Things to Consider About Health Care Before Moving Abroad
Physical Exam
If you are moving abroad with your employer, you will likely require an extensive physical exam before obtaining your work visa. Your employer and the country you’re moving to will want to ensure you are healthy before relocating you. A physical is usually also required by your employer's health insurance plans.
And the government of the country you’re moving to does not want to be responsible if you are in need of long term medical care immediately. Not to mention, you probably don’t want to move abroad if you’re needing specific medical care. All of this can be avoided with an extensive physical exam.
Before moving abroad, I underwent a physical exam that included eye and hearing tests, mental health questions, multiple immunizations, blood tests, EKG, etc.
Even if you’re not moving abroad by yourself (not with an employer), I suggest a physical exam before making the move. It’s a good idea to ensure you are healthy before moving to a foreign country where you’ll be unfamiliar with the health facilities and available medicine.
Available Health Facilities
Is the country you’re moving to more remote? Have you checked to see what type of health facilities will be available to you? This shouldn’t be an issue if you’re moving to a “Westernized” country. But what if you’re moving to a lesser known African country or a poorer Central American country? Before you move, you need to understand what health care and health care facilities you can expect.
None of us plans to get sick or require an emergency surgery. But the reality is those things can happen. In January of 2020, when we lived in Buenos Aires, I had a health scare and even though Buenos Aires has good healthcare, it was still a scary and eye opening experience for me.
I had to make an emergency visit to the hospital and was shocked by how few (like none) people could speak English to me. I naively assumed doctors would know English but that was not the case. Andrew and I had to use our Spanish skills to figure out what was going on with my body and what actions the doctors were recommending (one was surgery!). And to make matters worse, different people had different opinions. We were transferred to other hospitals and I had multiple tests completed - all in Spanish.
Let me tell you, that was one looong day!
I share this with you so you can be prepared in case of a health emergency. Luckily our company had very good healthcare in Argentina (Swiss Medical) so we did not have to worry about that aspect. But if you are travelling without health insurance it may be a good idea to look into obtaining insurance before moving abroad.
Life Flight
In addition to checking out the hospitals, you’ll want to consider what those hospitals are capable of. Again, you won’t have issues in more developed countries however if you’re moving to a lesser developed nation this should be something you look into.
When we lived in Angola, I knew a few people that had to be life flighted to South Africa for surgeries. One was as common as an appendix removal. If you were considering moving to Angola and this was not satisfactory to you, you would need to reconsider moving there.
Also, depending on where you’re planning to live, you may want to ensure your medical insurance includes life flight. I imagine a helicopter ride to a neighboring country is expensive.
Specialists
A good hospital isn’t the only thing you should look for. Don’t forget about healthcare specialists such as dentists, orthodontists, OBGYN’s, etc.
Depending on your family’s needs, you’ll want to ensure your new country has everything you need health wise.
Children Considerations
I probably don’t need to remind you about your children's health, but I still wanted to create a section for it. What types of health appointments do your children regularly have? Braces, pediatrician visits, hearing specialist? Make sure you identify those health services before moving abroad.
There are also children that require special needs education services. Before moving to a new country you need to research and maybe even take a preliminary trip to ensure the schooling meets your standards/needs.
Prescriptions
If you’re on a prescription be sure to fill as many months as possible before moving abroad. It may be difficult or not possible to find the medicine you’re used to taking in your new country, depending on where you’re moving to.
You may be able to find people that are going back to your home country to bring prescriptions back for you but you don’t want to be dependent on that.
The closest thing I had to a prescription was contact lenses. They needed to be renewed each year. When we were making travel plans, I had to be sure to make optometrist appointments when we were in the USA and use express delivery to receive my new yearly supply of contact lenses before going back to Angola/Argentina.
Moving abroad doesn’t mean you’ll have to stop taking your prescriptions but it does mean you may need to get a little creative. And that you will need to plan ahead or find overseas substitutions.
Local Diseases
When you move to a new country there may be diseases present there that you don’t have to worry about at home. For example, in Angola, malaria was very prevalent. It kills thousands of Angolans every year. In fact, we had some expat friends who caught malaria and were in the hospital for a few weeks.
As dangerous as the disease is, we were aware of the malaria risk before we moved abroad. You should also be aware of any disease risks you are taking on before moving to a new country.
Prevention Measure
If there are prevalent diseases in your expat country you will likely need to take prevention measures to ensure your health.
Depending on the disease, an immunization may be required. In Angola, proof of Yellow Fever Immunization was required to enter the airport from the plane.
Because malaria was common in Angola, many expats also used malaria pills. I started using them but after a few weeks my body did not feel right. My stomach hurt most of the day and I knew I couldn’t continue like that for several years. Again, I’m not a doctor. I’m only sharing my personal experience. Your doctor will be able to work with you on what’s best.
Instead, I leveraged mosquito spray. Basically every time I left my house I sprayed myself. If I was going to a restaurant that had outdoor seating, I would spray myself. If I was going outside for an extended amount of time (more than 10 minutes) I would spray again! And yes, it had deet! I was not interested in getting malaria and being in the hospital. I also tried to wear long sleeves or pants to protect against mosquito bites (when the weather cooperated!).
Depending on where you’re going you may need to worry about Malaria or another disease. Do your research and take your precautions seriously.
Covid Vaccines
Of course you can’t talk about health and country entry these days without mentioning the Covid vaccines. It seems like just about all countries are requiring a negative test or proof of vaccination to enter. So be sure to check entry requirements in regards to Covid before moving or visiting any country abroad.
There are so many more health care considerations to think about before choosing a country to move to but this list should get you started in the right direction. Health care is a very personal matter and requires you to look at your family to decide what health requirements you’ll need before moving abroad.
Remember, when it comes to your health you don’t want to guess. Do extensive research on the country you’re moving to. Ensure they have the healthcare facilities and services you and your family need.
