(prensa.com) The government has offered free health coverage to some 15,000 people who have entered the country through Tocumen International Airport since the program started on Jan. 17.
To date, there have been 50 cases where the insurance has been used. Of those cases, three people were treated in emergency rooms and nine people visited a doctor. The rest of the cases, according to insurance officials, were for minor injuries.
Gabriel de Obarrio III, director of Generali, the company that oversees the program, said that the government pays $1.95 for the coverage, which is automatically granted when a foreign resident enters the country through the airport. The government has budgeted $4 million for the policies, which also covers losses due to robberies and assistance in the event of an accidental death.
The government started offering the policies as a way to market the country to tourists. The policy will pay medical bills of up to $7,000, and provides up to $40,000 in coverage if there is a need to be transferred to a foreign facility.
The program is based on similar ones that were started in Argentina and Chile.