People visiting the Isle of Man this year to enjoy the TT, Southern 100 and Manx Grand Prix are being reminded to ensure they have adequate travel insurance in place prior to setting off, in the event they may need it whilst on-Island.
In the majority of cases, visitors who require health and care support during their stay – including urgent or emergency care – will be covered for most (if not all) costs they incur under the reciprocal healthcare agreement* in place between the Isle of Man and the UK. However, visitors who travel to the Island from countries outside of the UK are unlikely to be covered by a reciprocal health agreement, and therefore are generally only entitled to urgent and emergency services free of charge, in line with the provisions of the NHS (Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2011.
All other services, including admission into hospital following treatment in the emergency department, medicines and diagnostic tests (with limited exceptions, for example treatment for infectious diseases such as Covid-19) must be paid for. If admitted to hospital on the Island, all overseas visitors will be expected to provide insurance details or pay for any medical bills prior to their discharge.
Oliver Radford, Manx Care’s Executive Director of Health Services, commented:
‘Please be reassured that urgent treatment – for example for someone involved in a road accident or who suffers a medical episode – will always be provided to anyone who needs it. Insurance queries should never delay or prevent urgent treatment being given. However, we urge you to ensure that you do have your own appropriate level of insurance in place. The reciprocal healthcare agreement does not cover all eventualities, which could be very costly if you become ill and require healthcare support, and even more costly if you have no insurance in place at all.
‘We’re also reminding people to make sure they’ve packed enough prescription medication and any other forms of medicine, tablets or equipment with them before leaving home. We want all visitors to enjoy a safe, healthy and worry-free TT.’
Manx Care’s signposting guide highlights all of the available health and care options to people visiting the Isle of Man, and points them to the most appropriate service to meet their needs. It is available in foreign languages including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Polish, and can be accessed by visiting manxcare.im or gov.im/signposting. This includes the Emergency Department at Noble’s Hospital, MEDS (the Manx Emergency Doctor Service, also based at Noble’s), the Minor Injuries and Illnesses Unit at Ramsey Cottage Hospital (based in the North), access to GP services, support for persistent low mood and anxiety, Community Pharmacy provision, and emergency dental or optical care.
UK residents may register as a temporary resident with an Isle of Man-based GP if their visit to the Island is for more than 24 hours but less than three months. Details of how to do this can be found at the Doctor’s page. Visitors from outside the UK may register with a GP practice as a private patient and will be expected to pay for any consultation, treatment or prescription at the time of the visit.
* The reciprocal healthcare agreement is restricted to visits of less than six months’ duration. It does not, in all circumstances, include medical repatriation back to the UK, including for people who live in a country where a reciprocal health agreement is in place. For further information on this, please visit gov.im/healthinsuranceforvisitors
