Tonga Medical Insurance News
Tonga was originally known as the friendly islands, as when Captain Cook arrived he was fortunate to arrive on the eve of the inasi festival, a huge feast which is conducted annually. He attended as a special guest of the Tu′i Tonga, the head chief of Tonga. It was later found out that the head chief of Tonga originally planned to feast on Captain Cook but a plan could not be formulated by the time the feast came around, and thus Captain Cook was not eaten. Tonga is unique among the Pacific nation as it never lost its indigenous governance. Tonga remains today the only monarch left in the Pacific region. Tonga withdrew from the protection of the British in 1970 and joined the Commonwealth of Nations later that year. Over the years since its independence, Tonga′s King, Siaosi Tupou V, has remained committed to developing Tonga′s health care system to be the best out of any Pacific Island nation.
Over the last 50 years Tonga has seen an explosion in the quality of living standards and now Tonga faces little, if any absolute poverty. The country places 55th in the United Nations Development Program′s (UNDP), well ahead of Samoa 96th and Fiji 92nd, Human Development Index ranking (HDI). This is easily the highest of any pacific island nation. Thus reflecting the comparatively high gross domestic product (GDP) of the tiny pacific island nation, of $1780 USD per capita and the high life expectancy and near universal literacy. A credit to the Tongan monarchy is its near abolishment of poverty from the islands; an estimated 4% of the Tongan population lives on less than 1 USD per day and around 6.7% of households live below the food poverty line.
Since the 1950′s Tonga has experienced its first epidemiological transition, with a rapidly increasing life expectancy and falling maternal mortality, child mortality rates and fertility rates. Life expectancy at birth increased from 40 years in 1939 to 71 years average in 2003. The proportions of deaths caused by communicable diseases fell from 32% during the 50′s to 3.6% during the 90′s, while during the same period the proportions of death from non-communicable diseases rose from 5.6% to 38%.
One major health concern for Tongans is the large amounts of food they consume in proportion to the amount of exercise they do. Studies by many major Australian Universities show that the average Tongan male consumes more than double the quantity of food and calories consumed by the average Australian male. Women are also more overweight than men, while men have a higher prevalence of other risk factors, including smoking, elevated blood lipids and hypertension.
In Tonga all citizens are guaranteed access to health services free of charge, and physical access to these facilities remains quite good. Easy access to these facilities is of course except if you happen to live or travel to an outlying isolated island. This luxury of free medical costs however is not passed onto foreigners who do not hold Tongan citizenship. Primary health care and preventative services are delivered through a system of 14 health centers and 34 maternal health clinics. The overall bed occupancy rate in Tonga is low at 34%, suggesting that the hospitals are oversized and the demand has not yet caught up with the supply.
Overall Tonga has a well rounded and easily accessible healthcare service, unless of course you find yourself on one of the outer islands. As is true with any country in the world, there are some problems inherent in the system; however most people are able to receive the care that they need when they need it. The only way to avoid the issues and concerns of any healthcare system in the world is through a quality international health insurance plan. These Tonga expat health insurance plans give you the flexibility to go to the doctor or hospital of your choice, meaning that no matter where in the world you may be located, from Afghanistan to the United States of America, you will always be able to receive the highest standard of care available.
For more information about Tonga expat health insurance, the international health insurance plans that we can offer, or to receive a free quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today.
Recent Questions / Comments:| Pacific
Prime is able to offer comprehensive coverage to expatriates around the world.
Plans that we can provide will typically afford you a number of coverage
options including benefits for in-patient and out-patient treatment, emergency
evacuation, dental care, specialist consultations, and alternative therapies.
In addition to this, the international health insurance plans which we work
with are usually guaranteed renewable for life and globally portable, giving
you the security and peace of mind that you deserve while overseas. 2009-08-19 16:34:00 |
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| Category: Coverage , Pre-existing | Read Answer Here |
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| Pacific Prime offers comprehensive International Health Insurance plans to expats living overseas, in any area of the world. International Medical Insurance plans, which we can offer will provide you with access to quality medical services. We have a range of different medical coverage options, including inpatient and outpatient treatment, which expats can select to suit their health care needs. Worldwide coverage is typically included in the International Health Insurance plans we offer. This ensures that you have comprehensive health insurance coverage while you are outside of your home country, no matter where in the world you may be. In addition to this, expatriate health insurance policies which we provide will normally allow you to choose where and when you receive medical treatment; plans will often allow you to choose the doctor or hospital of your choice, regardless of the medical facility’s geographical location. 2011-02-15 16:31:13 |
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| Category: Coverage , Emergency Evacuation , Individual , in-patient , out-patient | Read Answer Here |
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