(PanamaDigest) As of January 17, tourists entering Panama through Tocumen International Airport will have free insurance.
The insurance provides insurance for 30 days, Solomon Shamah, Tourism Aurthority head, said at a Thursday press conference. The government signed a two-year contract with Assicurzioni Generali for $8 million.
“The idea of a medical emergency insurance for tourists who visit us is to raise the quality of what is offered to the people who come to Panama,” said Shamah.
Tourists and Panamanians living abroad will receive a booklet that includes a removable card with insurance details. The benefits include coverage of up to $20,000 to repatriate the tourist’s dead body, $7.000 for a week of hospitalization, $2,000 for dental emergencies, $3,500 for legal services, up to $40,000 in air ambulance service and $500 to $1,000 for drug prescriptions.
According to Panamanian authorities, around 1.05 million visitors entered the country through Tocumen between January and November 2010, representing 70 percent of the 1.5 million people that enter Panama through the various ports of entry.
The $2 charge for the insurance is already included in the $40 airport taxes paid by all travelers.