If you’re concerned about decent healthcare while you’re on holiday, then Japan is the place to be, according to a new report from ID Medical Group.
The medical recruitment company ranked the healthcare systems of the majority of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations, based on healthcare spending (as a percentage of GDP), number of hospital beds, doctors and nurses per capita, average life expectancy, and other metrics.
With a score of 72/100, Japan beat Germany (71), Switzerland (71), Austria (70) and France (68) to make up the top five.
About halfway down the list was Australia (62), ranked 13th out of the 24 nations studied, equal with Canada (62) and just behind Italy.
Israel (57), Hungary (58), Slovenia (58), Lithuania (59) and the Czech Republic (59) finished at the bottom of the scale, with the UK (60) and New Zealand (60) slightly ahead of them.
To make your holidays safer, ID Medical recommends you:
-
- find out the emergency numbers of the destinations you’re travelling to prior to departure
-
- take out appropriate health insurance before travelling
-
- declare any pre-existing medical conditions to your insurer
-
- take enough medicine to last a little longer than the planned duration of your trip, in case you’re delayed in your destination or you lose a dose or two of medication.
Do these results surprise you at all?
If you enjoy our content, don’t keep it to yourself. Share our free eNews with your friends and encourage them to sign up.
Related articles:
Smartraveller’s tips for safe sailing
Which vaccinations do you need?
What if you get sick overseas?