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.