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Gap year travel

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Sandra Samson

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
My son wishes to go to Canada for a gap year but was told at a recent clinic quite categorically that his continuing care, i.e. prescriptions and pump essentials, would not be funded by the local NHS trust.
This does seem discriminatory, denying a young person opportunities that others can enjoy.
On one hand I am not surprised, given NHS cutbacks etc., however, his care would require to be provided here in any case.
I wonder if anyone has experience of long term travel as a type 1 diabetic?
Can anyone suggest how he might proceed or if there are options open to him?
Thank you.
 
Do they pay for healthcare of anyone going abroad to places we have no medical reciprocal agreement with? Nope they don't. No student on a Gap year abroad gets medical cover thrown in free by the NHS the same as nobody gets free travel insurance however old they happen to be!

There are travel insurers who do cover it and when you see the cost - you won't be surprised the British taxpayer won't foot the bill. Even the EHIC card for most of the EU doesn't cover all costs, only what a National of that country would get. Hence if - let's say my non-D husband needs to consult a GP in France, he will pay to see the GP - approx. €24 - who issues a prescription, so he goes to a pharmacy and has to pay exactly what French people would pay for that drug however many €€ that happens to be! - EHIC doesn't cover it and never has.
 
I certainly have experience of using the health system in France and appreciate how the EHIC works, and we would of course expect, like anyone travelling, to pay for health insurance. We had hoped that with on-going, everyday costs - pump sundries and insulin which the NHS will be paying for if he stays here - there might have been an option to allow him to do a gap year. For a shorter term trip of 3 months a couple of years ago, we couriered the bulky pump sundries to an address in USA and he kept insulin in a cool pouch for the journey. Worked fine. This is a different scenario, however.
Thanks for your response.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.

I’m not sure if INPUT have any experience of this (www.inputdiabetes.org.uk), or if @Hannah DUK knows anything from a Diabetes UK perspective.

I know that people generally have difficulty getting more than a few months supplies though.

Having said that I can’t believe your lad is the first T1 on a pump to want to have a gap year abroad. Look forward to hearing what you find out.e
 
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The Foreign Office do some guides on what's available medically in various countries, however the cost of insulin in North America is approx. 10x the price the NHS pays for it here, so it's a ruddy expensive condition to have on that continent unfortunately whether you are a resident or a visitor, and whether you have insurance or not. With insurance of course someone has to pay the premium appropriate.

Some pumps aren't really catered for either - eg I have a Roche pump - and Roche pulled out of that market over 12 months ago - so I couldn't go unless I took a pump holiday and reverted to MDI. Hence - I wouldn't go there by choice for any long period that I couldn't take supplies with me.
 
Hi Sandra,

I am based in Ireland and I am not a pump user. However I have travelled extensively and used various means to get around the issue of diabetic supplies but definitely the hardest area to find ways around it was North America (this was over 20 years ago). In the end I got legal employment in the USA which provided me with health cover - I somehow doubt any employer will pay health insurance for a T1D on a gap year who is likely only to take up short term employment. Suggestions include: send an email before trip to a diabetic clinic in the area where he is going initially and seek their advice re: supplies and treatment; can he stock up on supplies before he goes; if say he gets 6 months supplies, fly home then and restock; if a family member is travelling out see if they can get a prescription for him (detailed letter of explanation from GP/hospital recommended for this option); see if you can get health insurance cover to cover some of the cost of diabetic supplies (I know this is next to impossible in Ireland for longer trips). I would think your greatest problem here is the fact that the clinic know he is travelling and may not be amenable to repeat prescriptions. Again as I don't know the system in England not sure if any of the suggestions are viable.

I think checking with the people as suggested by @kentish maid is a great suggestion.

Best of luck and any further questions just ask.
 
We can't get a scrip for longer than 3 months medication Shiv - if we are out of the country for longer than 3 months for whatever reason, GPs are supposed to remove us from their 'list' as they get paid a 'per capita' fee for all registered patients and they shouldn't claim for someone who they can't possibly look after.

I've never tried to get more than 3 months pump supplies so I dunno whether you can get it or not but anyway a years worth would fill best part of a whole suitcase.
 
Hi Sandra. It's great that your son wishes to travel to Canada for a year. There are many young people who have successfully backpacked the globe or worked abroad whilst managing type 1, but it just requires a little more planning and can potentially, incur more costs. Currently the NHS will prescribe a maximum of 3 months worth of medication, so for anyone travelling longer than this, they will need to find alternatives. You may want to consider some of the suggestions above, or explore options regarding insurance, or what might be available to him in the country he is visiting.

The NHS does not seem to have any agreement with Canada regarding healthcare: https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healt...e/NonEEAcountries/Pages/Non-EEAcountries.aspx
And unfortunately, self-funding insulin in North America could be very expensive. But, the advantage of him staying in one place for a full year, may be that he could access medical insurance or healthcare in Canada as a temporary resident, depending on what sort of visa he plans to have?

I would suggest contacting a Canadian Diabetes Charity for guidance on what your son may be entitled to in different territories. IDF (International Diabetes Federation) lists the following two charities:
http://www.diabetes.ca/contact
http://www.diabete.qc.ca/

It might also help to read of other people's experiences when embarking on a gap year with type 1. There are quite a few blogs and social media accounts of people with type 1 who have travelled, and the ways that they have managed their condition in different countries.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/your-st...ned-out-to-be-the-best-five-months-of-my-life

So, having a look at others' approach may be helpful too. Best of luck to him! 🙂
 
Hannah DUK said:
Hi Sandra. It's great that your son wishes to travel to Canada for a year. There are many young people who have successfully backpacked the globe or worked abroad whilst managing type 1, but it just requires a little more planning and can potentially, incur more costs. Currently the NHS will prescribe a maximum of 3 months worth of medication, so for anyone travelling longer than this, they will need to find alternatives. You may want to consider some of the suggestions above, or explore options regarding insurance, or what might be available to him in the country he is visiting.

The NHS does not seem to have any agreement with Canada regarding healthcare: https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healt...e/NonEEAcountries/Pages/Non-EEAcountries.aspx
And unfortunately, self-funding insulin in North America could be very expensive. But, the advantage of him staying in one place for a full year, may be that he could access medical insurance or healthcare in Canada as a temporary resident, depending on what sort of visa he plans to have?

I would suggest contacting a Canadian Diabetes Charity for guidance on what your son may be entitled to in different territories. IDF (International Diabetes Federation) lists the following two charities:
http://www.diabetes.ca/contact
http://www.diabete.qc.ca/

It might also help to read of other people's experiences when embarking on a gap year with type 1. There are quite a few blogs and social media accounts of people with type 1 who have travelled, and the ways that they have managed their condition in different countries.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/your-st...ned-out-to-be-the-best-five-months-of-my-life

So, having a look at others' approach may be helpful too. Best of luck to him! 🙂
Click to expand...
Hannah, thank you for so much useful information. Plenty to research here.
 
I observe that the Quebec one is, unsurprisingly being as it's based there - is 'French speaking' (diabete is diabetes in French (pron. dee a bet)) whilst the other is English speaking (with an American accent LOL)

Depends which part he's going to really!
 
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