The Adventure Begins!

Nomad VS Medical


There are a lot of questions about health care that arise as soon as you become a full-time digital nomad. As Brent Hartinger says “it’s complicated.” Having done some research and found numerous sites on health care and what kind of benefits they offer still leaves me in question. Especially with all of the possible injuries that could occur during travel. Here are 3 concerns brought to my attention.

 

Medical Emergency

 

Being a long-term traveler you experience days of food poisoning. Random natural occurrence accidents maybe with a scooter, broken foot, leg, arm whatever the matter you’ll need it taken care of and quickly. Knowing these things could happen where you are going to get adequate coverage for on-the-road health crises. Being bitten by a snake, indigenous creature, spider, dog, cat, Ect. 

 

Medivac

 

There are times when the local hospital cannot take care of your needs. Liver damage, Transplant, kidney failure, various types of cancer, or allergies. Being out on the top of a hill somewhere taking pictures where an accident was to happen would be life-threatening and would need immediate attention. The only way I could see you getting out of a situation like that is some kind of plane, helicopter, or boat emergency transport. Never have I experienced a need like this, but I have been on the side of a mountain where I slipped and it could have ended way worse than what had taken place.

 

Overall health issues

 

We all as individuals have different healthcare needs that have to be met. Some new occurring health problems are associated with age. Some pre-existing conditions are from adolescence, childhood, or birth. Prescription drugs, cancer screenings, gender-related, check-ups, dental, hygienic, or chiropractic needs. In some places a normal check-up could cost you, seeing a doctor than getting the medication needed resulting in hundreds of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses. No one wants to have to explain their current health problems and status every time they see a new doctor. Consider some way of being able to see one consistent practitioner.

 

List Of options for payment

 

  • Out of pocket
  • Travel Insurance
  • Credit Card Travel Insurance
  • International Health Insurance
  • Obamacare Healthcare Plans
  • Insurance from Employer

 

These paraphrased articles are about studies done in Timbuktu, Mali, and other regions. All credit is given and links are in works cited. 

 

Constant mobility puts Nomads on the edge of healthcare. In the cross-hairs, describing populations, characteristics, perceptions, and issues with community-based health interventions. Nomadic groups across the world get the least access to modern reproductive health (RH) services. What are the barriers for RH services nomads face daily, and what are the pathways for possible opportunities?

 

Article 1

 

To better understand healthcare services, a questionnaire was given out to the community of Ber and Gossi of the Timbuktu region. To better understand and develop approaches for adapting to nomadic populations. Looking at perceptions would help in better solutions based on the perception of individuals living the lifestyle. The type of study used was cross-sectional observation research that analyzes multiple variables of data collected at one point in time.

 

Having interviewed 520 individuals, members of the nomadic communities. The median age was 38, ranging from 18 to 86 years old. Activities are livestock breeding (27%), housekeeping (26.4%), Local trading (11%), farming (6%), and artisans at (5.5%). From the report, a local health center would be an average of 40.94 km to 23.19 km in Gossi and Ber. Consistent complaints about Transportation (79.4%), Quality of service (39.2%), and cost of health services. A quarter of their participants reported not wanting to be seen by a healthcare worker of the opposite gender.

 

Based on the evidence collected from the individuals, “Nomadic populations do not have access to community-based health interventions.” (Sangare, M.) looking at the importance of barriers found by researchers. You could also say that, taking into account the information found by the personal perception of individual lives, living the lifestyle. To be successful future interventions should adopt adapting policies and methods.

 

Article 2

 

PubMed, Popline, Google Scholar, and Google Advance were used to find articles published from 2002 to 2019. Three-hundred-forty-four articles were found and used for their review. 

 

Finding nomadic people’s complex barriers to healthcare were categorized as external factors, geographic isolation, sociocultural dynamics, logistical and political. Internal factors, lifestyle, norms, practices, and perceptions. For RH needs to be effective they need to be accessible and acceptable through culturally sensitive approaches. A barrier to RH services is a lack of awareness of their benefits for proper utilization. Leveraging networks and pre-existing structures ensures effectively implemented programs.

 

This article says further research is needed for a better understanding of RH needs. With research, some opportunities can be found. We learn that better information and education are needed for understanding the benefits of modern RH care. Nomadic community participation in females, leaders, male partners, and trained birth attendants are key factors. Programs that participate would gain highly if supported by the government’s current existing health systems.

 

Works Cited

 

Brent Hartinger, “How Does Heath Care Work for a Long-Term Traveler?” https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com/p/how-does-heath-care-work-for-a-long, October 4th, 2021. 

 

Sangare, M., Coulibaly, Y.I., Coulibaly, S.Y. et al. Factors hindering health care delivery in nomadic communities: a cross-sectional study in Timbuktu, Mali. BMC Public Health 21, 421 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10481-w

 

Ali, M., Cordero, J.P., Khan, F. et al. ‘Leaving no one behind’: a scoping review on the provision of sexual and reproductive health care to nomadic populations. BMC Women’s Health 19, 161 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-019-0849-4