Survey Shows Many Expats Feel ‘Unsupported’
Recent research shows that despite HR departments’ claims, many corporate expats still feel ‘unsupported’ on relocation, with a potential impact on their mental health and general well-being. Crown World Mobility, a corporate relocation service, surveyed 1,000 expats in 2024 across Australia, India, Germany, Singapore, the UAE, the UK, and the USA. 37% said they had received no cultural training, and 28% reported not undertaking any language training. Additionally, 23% said their partner received no support during the move, with one in ten expats stating this had negatively affected their own mental health.
Crown World Mobility told the Personnel Today website that:
“Many expats assume they’ll pick up cultural and language skills naturally when they arrive, but in reality, struggling through adaptation without proper training can be stressful and isolating. HR teams must ensure support isn’t just a tick-box exercise; it needs to be tailored, ongoing, and responsive to real-world challenges.”
Startups Magazine, meanwhile, has undertaken a mental health survey of expats: the 2024 Mind Health Report, surveying around 1,500 expats across 16 countries. The results give cause for concern: nearly half of respondents (49%) said that they had experienced burnout, and only 44% reported that they had sought treatment from a mental health professional.
The survey also mentions the need for more robust cultural onboarding, highlighted by the Crown World survey mentioned above, and also suggests that human-centric health benefits – not just emergency cover – would further assist expats in adjusting to their new role and new country. A number of respondents mentioned the ‘six month slump,’ for example – a phenomenon familiar to many expats once the ‘honeymoon period’ and the novelty of being in a new place have worn off.
Surveys elsewhere suggest that 36% of American respondents who were contemplating a move abroad either did not realise that they needed health coverage or were under the erroneous impression that their US health insurance would cover them abroad.
Health Insurance Changes in Türkiye
Türkiye is changing its policies in regard to health insurance. Previously, the country faced issues with coverage designed primarily for residence visa purposes, which often failed to provide adequate healthcare. These substandard plans are now being phased out, replaced by proper insurance coverage aligned with an established national standard..
The good news is that coverage will be significantly broader; the downside is higher costs, as insurers will now pay substantial fees to the government instead of private agencies. Up front payments will be required and minimum coverage caps will be revised.
However, valid coverage will now be accepted at public hospitals—initially for emergencies only, with the potential for broader acceptance in the future. Since there are a number of towns with limited medical facilities, the new coverage will allow more people to access hospital care. Commentators say that the changes are ‘long overdue.’
AI ‘Selfie’ Provides Health Information
Deep learning algorithm FaceAge is being trialled in the USA. One of its founders, Raymond Mak, is an oncologist at Mass Brigham Health:
“We hypothesize that FaceAge could be used as a biomarker in cancer care to quantify a patient’s biological age and help a doctor make these tough decisions.”
The app takes a photo of you, akin to a selfie, and assesses your biological age rather than your birthdate age. We age at different rates due to factors like underlying health, lifestyle habits such as smoking or drinking, and genetic inheritance. “Some 70-year-olds are fitter than people in their 50s and may respond better to aggressive treatments like radiation, while others are far more physically fragile. The app doesn’t look at elements such as hair colour (whether you’ve gone grey or not) but at subtle alterations in muscle tone.
The app is currently being trialled on around 20,000 patients, in an effort to rule out any racial biases.
Germany: Electronic Patient Files Rolled Out
Following a trial across Germany’s regions, the country launched its Elektronische Patientenakte (ePA) system in late April. The scheme allows doctors to upload and access patients’ health records, reducing reliance on self-reported information. They will be able to plug the patient’s health insurance card into a reader and thus access a database with the patient’s records.
From October, it will be compulsory for GP surgeries to offer this service, but patients are allowed to opt out and to have their previous information wiped. Patients’ concerns are understandable, since hacking group Chaos Computer Club found significant loopholes in the system last year and were able to access the system without a health insurance card. The hacking group says that they have demonstrated that 70 million patient files are at risk.
Medical tech company Gematik, who are responsible for the new ePAs, as well as for electronic health insurance cards and e-prescription systems, say that the system has now been tested against cyber attack and is robust and secure. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) told the press that the system is “one of the more secure, and maybe most secure, electronic patient file systems” compared to those in other countries.
Czechia: Public Transport Measures to Protect Public
In Czechia, a disinfection programme on public transport is underway to protect the public against the recent rise in Hepatitis A. Similar measures were carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic and have been re-introduced in an effort to combat the liver infection. Prague has seen 69 cases so far, and the incidence of the disease has been rising across the world. Vaccination is a good prevention, but it is only available privately. The illness is spread through contaminated surfaces, so washing your hands is recommended.