E111 and the need for travel insurance...

What every traveller needs - apart from a safe and pleasant holiday - is to make sure that they are covered in case of accident or injury whilst on holiday.

An E111 will help you get free treatment in the EU

UK travellers can apply for an E111. Click here for more information about the E111.

Go to any main post office or travel agent and ask for a leaflet "Health Advice for Travellers".

Fill in an application form at the back of the leaflet, and the form E111 as well, in accordance with the instructions in the leaflet. Hand over the completed forms at the post office where the form E111 will be stamped and signed and returned to you.

The E111 is free; you will not have to pay for its issue.

Keep it safe, preferably with your passport, and carry it with you when travelling within the EEA.

REMEMBER, YOU MUST GET THE E111 STAMPED AND SIGNED BY THE POST OFFICE OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE IT.

Where to get pre-travel HEALTH advice:
Your GP or a travel clinic
Hospital for Tropical Diseases Travel Clinic Healthline 09061 337733. (Calls charged at 50p a minute at all times) Malaria Healthline 09065 508908 (Calls charged at £1 a minute at all times)

Foreign & Commonwealth Office Advice to travellers line 020 7008 0232. (For information about political risks in other countries.)

Information is also available on BBC2 Ceefax page 470 onwards.

The Government have a page of advice for travellers - Health Risks Around the World and how to avoid them

If you have an accident abroad, it can be very costly. You must make sure you've got travel insurance. An air ambulance would cost over £9000. Thats an awful lot if you've got to pay it yourself.

Country by Country Checklist

Getting Treatment in Countries With No Health Care Agreements With the UK

Fewer than 60 countries worldwide have any sort of health care agreements with the United Kingdom. The vast majority do not – including Switzerland; Turkey;Cyprus; Canada, the United States and Mexico; most of the islands in the Caribbean; all the South American nations; every country in the Middle East and Africa; all of Asia, including India, Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong and certain republics of the former Soviet Union; and the whole Pacific region, except for Australia and New Zealand.

Getting Treatment in Countries Outside the EEA With Reciprocal Health Care Agreements With the UK

The UK has reciprocal agreements with certain countries for the provision of urgently needed medical treatment either at reduced cost or, in some cases, free. The countries and the services available are listed under Reciprocal Health Care Agreements: Country-By-Country Checklist.

Only urgently needed treatment will be provided and you will be treated on the same terms as residents of the country in question. The range of medical services may be more restricted than under the NHS, and if charges are involved, these cannot be refunded by the British Government. You should carry sufficient insurance to cover them.

In order to obtain treatment, you will normally have to produce your passport or some proof of UK residence, such as a driving licence or medical card. Requirements vary from country to country and are shown in the Reciprocal Agreements: Country-By-Country Checklist.

WHO IS COVERED
In general, you and your dependants are entitled to emergency medical treatment on the terms shown if you are a UK national and live in the UK (including Northern Ireland). Even if you are not a UK national, you may still be entitled to treatment in some of the listed countries if you normally live in the UK