International Private Medical Insurance (IPMI) is essential for businesses with overseas export that requires them to have staff stationed abroad for lengthy periods of time. IPMI covers all industry sectors and if staff are away for more than six months of the year on company business then an IPMI plan will give them access to the best medical care in that country.
Preston-based leading independent health insurance intermediary Nugent Santé recently helped a key client when they hit a major health problem whilst working overseas.
The client in question is a professional organisation with a group size of 25 staff and they were sending twelve of their team to Western Africa for a 24-month project.
The country in Western Africa has a health service which is autonomous and there is no set agreement that treatment would be readily available for the UK Nationals to be covered under its Health Service should they fall ill, plus there was the potential of encountering unknown costs for ambulances and other medical facilities.
Utilising their knowledge of the international markets, Nugent Santé reviewed the complex policies available and selected the insurer with the best benefits and relations in Western Africa to cover the staff and then negotiated the most favourable terms possible for the client. The policy selected included comprehensive medical in-patient and out-patient treatment for diagnosis, surgery and after care.
One employee aged 38 unfortunately had a stroke whilst in Western Africa and Nugent Santé were notified by the client and they immediately handled the claim and the client’s treatment pathway with the insurer. Nugent Santé acted as the client and insurer liaison and ensured the hospital engaged with the insurer and made the treatment and funds available for the medical costs being incurred by the hospital and its staff involved in the employee’s treatment.
Paul Nugent, Managing Director of Nugent Santé commented, “Our client had one point of contact during the whole process and we carried out all the liaison on their behalf ensuring they had as little stress as possible during this difficult period. Should the client have gone to Western Africa without taking the correct medical insurance cover, the consequences could have been dire with the potential of worsening health conditions due to no access to private treatment, unknown costs, no translation making it difficult to understand what to do or potential misdiagnosis, as well as a halt or delay in the company project. Fortunately, the employee is back to full health due to the care he received.”
The policy is still in place for the client and they have added more employees to it as the project continues to grow. The organisation is thrilled with the comprehensive and personal service provided by the Nugent Santé team and are now looking at extra benefits they can provide to their team in Western Africa through Nugent Santé.
Paul concluded, “For employees who are stationed abroad a simple travel insurance policy will not be adequate and will only cover emergency medical expenses whereas International Private Medical Insurance covers routine medical conditions, so that whilst someone is away from home they still have access to treatment quickly so can return to work or normal daily living speedily by using the policy.”
