InterNations Survey Releases Findings On Healthcare
The recent InterNations survey has released its findings on healthcare as part of its overall Quality of Living annual report. For healthcare, the rankings are as follows:
1. Spain
2. France
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Cyprus
5. Qatar
6. Luxembourg
7. Japan
8. Thailand
9. Colombia
10. Belgium
It’s perhaps no surprise that Spain tops this latest list (it’s been at the summit of the Quality of Life index since 2022). Of those who responded, 83% of expats say Spanish healthcare is affordable, 82% say it is easily available, and 81% report it is high quality. These figures place Spain well above global averages — for example, the global average for affordability in healthcare is 59%.
Czechia and Portugal, both of which scored highly in the overall Quality of Life rankings (6th and 9th respectively), did not score as well in terms of affordability or accessibility, with neither appearing in the top ten. Ireland ranks among the lowest (45th out of 46), particularly regarding access and affordability.
Mefloquine Shortage
There are currently some issues with accessing mefloquine, an anti-malarial drug, in certain UK pharmacies. This is likely to continue until 2026, so if you’re planning to travel from the UK to malaria-prone regions, check with your GP (mefloquine is prescription-only) and your pharmacy well in advance. Pharmacies should prioritise travellers about to leave the UK for whom mefloquine is the first choice (for example, those who cannot take alternative medication).
The government advises that the UK Malaria Expert Advisory Group (UKMEAG, formerly the Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention) should be your first port of call for information; its prophylaxis guidelines apply to UK-based visitors to malaria-endemic areas.
Monkeypox Downgraded
It was announced in September that the mpox outbreak no longer meets the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This doesn’t mean the illness no longer presents risks — just that it is no longer a significant global threat.
In most cases, mpox is self-limiting, resulting in mild symptoms such as a rash and a high temperature, with recovery typically taking two to four weeks. However, more severe symptoms can occur, and in extreme cases, the illness can be fatal.
Expat Doctors Face Problems Returning Home
The Times reported in late September that some consultant doctors in Australia — both expat Brits — have found themselves unable to return easily to the NHS. This is due to an imbalance in the recognition of qualifications: while both Australia and New Zealand recognise UK medical qualifications, the reverse does not apply.
The doctors interviewed by The Times, who trained abroad, are among many expat medics who have sent an open letter to Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, asking that the General Medical Council automatically recognise Australian and New Zealand specialist qualifications in fields such as paediatrics, pathology, surgery, and oncology.
Currently, to work for the NHS, expat returnees must submit around 1,000 pages of evidence detailing the procedures they have conducted for consideration by the British specialist register — a bureaucratic hurdle that The Times estimates costs each doctor around £100,000 in lost earnings. The numbers affected are significant: thousands of British medical professionals work in Australia alone, making up about 8% of the senior medical workforce.
Matt Hart, a consultant paediatric anaesthetist at The Children’s Hospital in Sydney, told The Times:
“The UK is desperately short of consultants, and there is a ready pool of willing people to come back, but this artificial barrier is put up in place. It’s very hard to claim that the standard of medical training in Australia and New Zealand is inferior to the training in the UK. There is a shared culture, a shared language, a shared way of practising medicine.”
This lack of recognition of Antipodean credentials does not apply universally: the UK recognises qualifications from European countries such as Romania. This may be a legacy of the UK’s EU membership, but it has been described as “bizarre” to exclude medics trained in Australia and New Zealand, especially given that about half of UK specialist vacancies remain unfilled. Respected consultants are being forced to take up locum work — which has less stringent entry criteria — instead of consultancy posts for which they are fully qualified.
Flu Jab Season Has Begun
On September 30th, the Andalusian health authorities announced free flu jabs for over-60s in the region, available at local centros de salud or via mobile clinics. Some clinics offer walk-in vaccinations, but you can also book through the Salud Andalucía app or by phone. There are around 92 vaccination centres in Malaga alone.
You will need your SIP card, NIE or passport, and proof of address. You can get your COVID jab at the same time. In 2024, 1.7 million people took advantage of this service, and medical experts say it has significantly reduced hospitalisations due to flu.