Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Getting sick or hurt in South Africa: insurance

I'm heading to the Limpopo district on my first safari this coming June. It's a plains game hunt--nothing particularly frightening or dangerous. The country looks pretty similar to eastern Montana, and I'm not going to be too far out of Lephalale (population 17,600.)

I've consulted with my health insurance company and found that my insurance is good for international travel, but I'll (obviously) be looking at out of network provider rates. It's also been made clear to me by my PH and travel agent that SA hospitals expect to be paid up front.

I'm wondering if MedJet or Global Rescue is overkill when I'm not in truly remote Africa. Are there other options for basic short term emergency medical care?

TIA,

KP

I think medivac insurance is unnecessary in your case but travel health insurance might be a good idea. Sort of depends on your credit card spending limit. Yes, hospitals expect immediate payment but treatments for anything are MUCH cheaper than here. I only buy medivac insurance when I’m going way off the grid

Ripcord, Global Rescue could be worth the money. However, I have to deal in Canadian money and the Global Rescue fees have gone up. The exchange from USD to CAD made Global Rescue cost prohibitive.

We went to the AMA and bought a similar health plan for much less.

One thing you won't find in Eastern Montana, is a puff adderand I just saw a 5-6ft puff adder in South Africa. John Sharp was bitten in a finger by a puff adder and nearly lost an arm. In addition to snakes, there are insects and diseases we don't have in NA. Better to have more insurance, than not enough.

I have been in that area many times. Most worry about the various animals but you could get in a bad vehicle crash or have a cardiac event or fall out of a vehicle and crack your noggin or shoot yourself or have a spinal injury. Long long list.

Then you will be really thankful you can get someone to drag your ass home. The quality of medical care in Pretoria is very good but getting there will likely involve aircraft. Then you may want to recover at home.

Global rescue plus trip insurance for me.

Do you have travel insurance for the trip? Most emergency medical coverage costs thrown in.

Echoing JDollar. I've purchased plans from Global Rescue a few times, but only when traveling to very remote areas. Otherwise, emergence services in most Southern African nations is more than adequate to save your life. Wouldn't want to have open heart surgery anywhere on the continent today, but patching a wound or dealing with illness isn't a big deal.

IF you have an AMEX Platinum, MEDJET is included in the membership. They won't get you out of the deep bush, then again you are hunting Texas...err I mean RSA.

Jorge,
Do you have a link for that? I see where AMEX has a service, but it did not say MedJet.

405wcf

K P,
As Rin B points out, the most likely problem is not a lion or a buffalo, but an auto accident, fall, or heart attack. This happens. My neighbor lady was killed in an auto accident in Italy. A business man I know fell down some stairs in an Edinburgh office building shattering his knees and came home via air ambulance. If you have to pay cash for this it can be six figures.

The cost of Global Rescue is about the same as two boxes of 416 Rigby ammo. It is a rounding error in the cost of a safari.

405wcf

Global Rescue or as Jorge suggests American Express.

I do not. All I know is a friend of mine got hurt in Namibia (ranch hunting) so they called AMEX and they arranged the MEDEVAC. A couple of years ago, my FIL had to be MEDEVAC from PA to Florida and the AMEX Platinum covered the tab. Call AMEX Concierge

Thanks for tip, will call.

When I went to RSA in 2016 I bought Global Rescue for about $159. They will fly you to your designated trauma center in the States for treatment.

One thing to remember about being treated in RSA, they have great doctors, I was told a large amount of their blood was infected with the AIDS virus, I’m not sure if this was true but I wasn’t going to take any chances!

It was true in the 80s and early 90s. Now it is all screened for HIV and Hepatitis.

Actually the first heart transplant was performed in Cape Town, South Africa.

DF

I know of a gentleman that went to SA several years ago with a few friends on safari. He had a heart attack and required a pacemaker while he was there which they required payment up front. When they were told how much it was going to cost they had an “oh sh.it” moment until they realized that the price quoted was in South African currency…after a quick conversion calculation the amount due was a few thousand dollars including the surgery, anesthesiologist AND the pacemaker itself which just happened to be one of the same ones used here but costing many many many times more here than it cost in SA. A surgery like that here would be well into 6 figures but in South Africa it was a few thousand dollars total.

That's when the adults ran the place. Now, not so much.

Most of the docs in SA are Indians. Not that they aren't good, but the system as a whole sucks.

The one thing that kills most tourists in southern Africa are car accidents.

My wife and I signed up for Medical Air Service (MASA) a few years ago when I started doing overseas hunts. Haven’t needed it over there but it did come in very handy when I had a stroke 30 miles from home. Paid for the emergency room and ambulance with either little or no out of pocket (been a few years and don’t recall the details). Anyway, it will pay for emergency care anywhere in the world and get you home.

I used Global Rescue for my first five safaris in Namibia and never filed a claim. When I attempted to sign up with them in July 2022, they declined coverage because I turned 75 in June. Screw them- I signed up with Ripcord and had no problem getting coverage.

They implying you an old fart?

I, too, resemble that remark.

Hmm…

DF

Had he not picked it up it probably would have not bit him, but then John is like Chuck Norris, the snake probably apologized.

This, and then make certain medivac can really come get you, if you are really remote and expect them to come get you in an emergency where time is of the essence, you may very well be disappointed.

I've used both Global Recue and Ripcord. Thankfully I've never had to use their services. Most recently used Ripcord for a Mozambique trip and plan to use them in the future.

Also, there is a difference between medivac and travel medical insurance……One gets you home but doesn’t necessarily cover in country medical costs. Read your policy carefully.

Hey Covtard, you still standing in line for those boosters? What a freaking clownshow you are.

I’m trying to give helpful advice based on personal experience. You are just being an [bleep]…… I wonder which one is more likely to help the OP?

IIRC from his book, he tried to use a short stick to guide the adder back into the trail so that Mrs Wilbur Smith could get a better photo. He should have used a longer stick, or left it alone. Fortunately Wilbur Smith was a pilot and had his own plane nearby. He flew John to the nearest major hospital in Zimbabwe. He was then transferred to Johannesburg and I believe on to a third hospital where he received specialized treatment that saved his finger/arm.

You'll be the first coward in line to give up your guns too when the libtards tell you too. You're just a big pussy and obvious stupidasss.

It never fails. Some jackass troll with a political agenda and nothing constructive to add to the conversation always shows up to pollute an otherwise enjoyable read. The 27K posts tips him off as a probable loser with nothing better to do than troll threads he isn't welcome in. Either that or he is already 10 beers into a 12 pack of Bud Light. Go back under your bridge troll.

It’s nothing new. Brother raider has been trolling me for years on 2 different website. I try to give helpful advice based on personal experience, he launches personal attacks for whatever “reason” that is totally unrelated to the topic at hand.

You're a lying sackoschitttt and you know it.....how was this good advice?

99....it's a good idea to know what you're talking about before you spout of some dumbasss comment that makes you look like a complete idiot. If you believe this jdollar covart, fraud, you've got some intelligence issues.

JGR, about a year ago I suggested that you just get over it, but apparently that's a suggestion not realized.

I do not know anything about jdollar from a professional POV, however, most every doctor that was pushing the mRNA shot have reconsidered their position after all the facts started pouring in. Many doctors were forced to make a decision to either retain their job and push the shot or question the wisdom of pushing a treatment that bypassed all safety protocols including Phase III clinical trials and lose their career.

It would be interesting to engage jdollar in a discussion regarding his opinions now that the facts are known. Again, just a suggestion you can choose to ignore.

Anyhow, carry on...

WTF does any of that BS that you just typed above have to do with getting sick or hurt in Africa and what insurance you should have?

You are just another douche bag with an agenda that nobody here cares about.

Read the room.

Azzhoe.

+1. Good advice. I get med jet insurance when I’m hunting dangerous game in Zimbabwe or Mozambique. For plains game in RSA, I’d skip it.

He won't, he's a coward and a fraud. I'm not one to let these covtard vax pusher's off the hook as they ruined lots of lives and livelihoods. You apparently are.

I'll never apologize for a good covtard bashing. You'll just have to get over it.

This is concerning, I need to check out Ripcord!