 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
El Salvador Expat Health Insurance / El Salvador Healthcare System |
|
|
|
|
| |
El Salvador is located on the Pacific coast of Central America. It has a population exceeding more than 7 million people. Historically, the country has been affected by civil war, although this ended in 1992.
Since the end of the civil war in 1992, El Salvador has been hit with natural disasters – namely hurricane Mitch in 1998 and the 2001 earthquake – which have all hindered the country’s development and healthcare provision. The Salvadoran healthcare system has serious flaws in respect of inequalities, with access to better quality health services being directly linked to income levels. The urban and rural poor El Salvadorans have limited access to healthcare facilities, while more affluent citizens can secure adequate healthcare services. However, the government is in the early stages of executing a National Development Plan to address the issue of irregularities in the Salvadoran health sector.
The Salvadoran healthcare system is comprised of both publicly and privately run healthcare sectors. Generally the Salvadoran public healthcare facilities – especially hospitals – are under-staffed and poorly equipped. However, there are private health providers in El Salvador – in San Salvador and Soyapango – which offer a better standard of health services, although not up to the standards usually found in the USA and Europe. Most private healthcare facilities in El Salvador will require payment up-front before treatment or proof of international health insurance cover for El Salvador.
The Salvadoran health sector is fragmented and divided into sub-systems that serve different Salvadoran citizen groups. Access to the public provided healthcare system, includes Salvadoran social health insurance sub-systems, which are administered by the Salvadorian Social Security Institute (ISSS). – Approximately 20 percent of El Salvador’s population has access to provision of services supplied by the ISSS; this includes the Salvadoran Institute of Welfare for Teachers, the Military Health Institute and the Salvadoran Institute of Comprehensive Rehabilitation (ISRI). The Salvadoran government also provides a National Health Service (NHS), which serves approximately 78 percent of the population in El Salvador.
The Salvadoran private health sector is divided into profit and not-for-profit entities. The not-for-profit private health agencies are Non Government Organizations (NGO's) – with external funding or private funds – working in specific geographical locations in El Salvador, providing health services to impoverished Salvadorans.
The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MSPAS) is a government body with the responsibility to determine national health policy, monitor its performance and provide overall supervision of the Salvadoran health sector. The MSPAS, as a state-agency, implements national health policy, sets standards and evaluates any health-related activities which affect El Salvador and the citizens of the country.
The Salvadoran Social Security Institute (ISSS) is an El Salvador public scheme which covers Salvadorans in employment and employers with some form of health cover. Both employee and employer need to make payments to the Salvadoran social security scheme, with the employer required to pay roughly 10.5% of an employee’s wages into the ISSS. These payments ensure that all workers in El Salvador have access to healthcare services as well as health cover for both employee and employer for any work related injuries, which may occur. However, if an employee does not register with the ISSS, they will be excluded from healthcare cover in El Salvador.
The welfare of the teaching profession in El Salvador is provided under the health system of the Ministry of Education. Teachers and their families are provided with health benefits from the Salvadoran government as part of a healthcare sub-system operating in the country. This entitles teaching professionals to access healthcare services. The Salvadoran military and their families also are provided with specific healthcare services under a sub-system covering access to health units, hospitals and schools.
The private healthcare sector in El Salvador consists of clinics and general hospitals and hospitals specializing in particular treatments; these are concentrated in the capital San Salvador and other large cities. The main Salvadoran private hospitals are the Hospital de Diagnóstico, the Hospital de la Mujer, the Centro Pediátrico, and the Centro Ginecológico.
Non Government Organizations (NGO's) are influential in delivering healthcare services in El Salvador. These non-profit institutes offer medical services, including preventative treatments – predominately in rural areas of El Salvador; they also organize healthcare in hospitals in the cities and towns.
There are inequalities in the Salvadoran health system in respect to funding. The Salvadoran NHS is severely underfunded in comparison to the ISSS. The NHS in Salvador serves nearly four-fifths (78%) of the population and is under-developed. This means that the health services are stretched and inadequate to meet the medical needs of the majority of Salvadorans – who only have access to healthcare via the NHS. A large proportion of the Salvadoran population do not have access to the ISSS as the self-employed, unemployed, unpaid family members, small business workers and workers in the agricultural industry are barred from using it. These categories of the population – predominantly low income demographics – all obtaining healthcare through the Salvadoran NHS.
The El Salvador National Health Policy strategy 2009-2014 is part of the country’s National Development Plan for the 2009-2014 period. This emphasizes the strengthening of the social services sector. The MSPAS is working towards unifying the Salvadoran health sector, recognizing that healthcare is a basic human right. The objective of the Salvadoran National Health Policy is to ensure universal health coverage, to improve the access to quality health services and improve the equity and efficiency of the healthcare system in El Salvador.
By 2014, El Salvador aims to ameliorate the whole healthcare sector. At a primary level, it intends to provide an increased number of community health units, family health units and health promotion centers. At the secondary level of healthcare, the Salvador MSPAS plans to provide a more fair distribution of general hospitals in municipalities. Third level healthcare is focused on specialized hospitals being fairly located at regional level, with national hospitals offering highly-specialized medical treatments being as a fourth level objective. The overall goal is to implement significant improvements to healthcare cover across El Salvador, ensuring it is fairly distributed providing Salvadoran citizens with a better quality of life.
The main private hospitals across El Salvador are the Hospital de Diagnostico, the Hospital Militar, the Centro Ginecologico and the Centro Pediatrico. These hospitals are offer the best medical equipped healthcare facilities in the country, providing patients with a variety of health services ranging from minor medical procedures to medical surgery. They are the most advanced healthcare providers in El Salvador and are able to stabilize a patient’s health. They cater for foreign nationals and offer a western style system of healthcare. However, further medical treatment requiring more advanced medical services, will probably need to be carried out in a country with a medical centre of excellence.
The Diagnostic Hospital Colonia Médical is located in the capital San Salvador and is the only hospital able to offer air emergency medical evacuation services in the country. If a patient is in a remote area, or requires extreme medical services, the Diagnostic Hospital Colonia Médica Colonia Médical is equipped with transportation and hospital facilities to cater for these circumstances.
Non Salvadoran citizens are required to pay for all medical services in the country in either private or public healthcare facilities. The privately run healthcare facilities cater more for foreign nationals and generally provide a more modern, medically advanced service. Public run hospitals are often over-run and less efficient; consequently it is recommended that all foreign visitors or expatriate patients seek treatment from a private hospital in one the main cities in El Salvador.
As in many Central and Latin American countries, El Salvador is blighted by serious diseases, which can impact the health of the population and place exceptional demands on the Salvadoran healthcare system during outbreaks. Diseases such as typhoid fever, dengue fever and hepatitis A are present in the country. In the past, El Salvador has suffered from outbreaks of cholera, but this has now been brought under control with health measures implemented. Health issues such as increased immunization and education has minimized outbreaks of diseases and infections in the country. Salvadoran authorities took steps at the turn of the century to target vulnerable groups in the country with improved health education and by making access to clean water, electricity and information on nutrition more easily available.
As a foreign national in El Salvador, you are liable for financial payments towards any medical costs incurred by using medical services in either privately or publicly run healthcare facilities. The healthcare standards in the private hospitals in the main cities in El Salvador are likely to be more suitable for a foreigner requiring medical treatment, with better medical facilities. However, for intensive medical treatment, it is recommend that patients seek healthcare outside El Salvador – from a country offering more advanced healthcare facilities. While a patient’s health will be able to be stabilized in El Salvador, the advice is to obtain further medical treatment in a country better equipped to provide for more advanced care. It is recommend that visitors to El Salvador have insurance with air ambulance cover as, in the case of an medical emergency, they may need to be airlifted to a country with a medical centre of excellence or to be repatriated to their home nation.
Prior to your trip to El Salvador it is advisable to consult with a doctor to ensure all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date and to obtain information on any current health concerns in the country. If you are unfortunate enough to fall ill while in El Salvador, you will find the healthcare facilities adequate to meet basic medical needs, and, in the case of a medical emergency, the larger Salvadoran private hospitals are adequately equipped to stabilize a patient – although further medical treatment is recommended in a country with a more advanced healthcare system. It is important to ensure you have Salvadoran international health insurance cover to include repatriation costs.
|
|
El Salvador Expat Health Insurance |
| |
If you are looking for peace-of-mind knowing that medical costs will be covered in case of an accident or illness, to yourself and your family, while traveling to or residing in El Salvador, an international health insurance plans will be the ideal solution. Policies can be tailor-made to ensure all your needs are met while in El Salvador. Should you require further information on El Salvador and expat health insurance, or to receive a free quotation, please do not hesitate to call one of our expert advisers now. |
|
|
|
|
