Health Risk Map 2015: Revised country medical risk ratings

Health Risk Map 2015: Revised country medical risk ratings released

• China, India, Indonesia, Russia reclassified
• Improved ratings in some parts of Africa thanks to foreign investment and new private hospitals
• New ‘Large Rapidly Developing Countries’ category introduced

International SOS has released Health Risk Map 2015, a tool to help organisations understand the medical risks in the markets in which they operate.

Now in its sixth year, the Health Risk Map helps organisations with staff and volunteers who travel overseas quickly identify if greater consideration of the health risks to their employees is required.
Multinationals, NGOs, schools, universities, government departments and mining companies rely on the annual Health Risk Map to help inform their risk management and pre-travel processes.

The ratings are determined by a panel of International SOS Medical Directors and take into consideration a combination of factors including access to quality medical facilities, hygiene and sanitation, prevalence of infectious diseases and rates of accidents.

This year a new category has been introduced to recognise the vastly different quality of medical services in major cities compared to the rest of country in developing economies, which typically attract high numbers of business travellers. Countries include Brazil, China and India.

Doug Quarry, Medical Director, Medical Information and Analysis at International SOS said:
“The analysis from our medical experts presents a very interesting story about private healthcare services in some African nations. We have seen continued investment in a number of countries, often from foreign investors, including those in the private medical insurance market. It means citizens, overseas workers and expatriates, have access to higher standard hospital facilities.

We have to view these improvements in the context of the continent’s overall risks. Obviously, the ongoing Ebola outbreak highlights the challenges in existing healthcare systems. Nevertheless, these developments are a positive step for healthcare in Africa. And while we are still talking about relatively low numbers of new quality facilities, we may well see more improvements of this nature in the coming years.”

ENDS

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