cubamigos@yahoo.es

1. Comprehensive travel insurance to cover theft, loss and medical problems is highly recommended.
2. Some policies specifically exclude dangerous activities such as scuba diving, motorcycling, skiing and even trekking: read the fine print.
3. Check that the policy covers ambulances or an emergency flight home.
4. Find out in advance if your insurance plan will make payments directly to providers or reimburse you later for overseas health expenditures.
5. If you have to claim later, make sure you keep all documentation.
6. Paying for your airline ticket with a credit card often provides limited travel accident insurance – ask your credit card company what it is prepared to cover.

More on Health and safety

Dangers and annoyances
Cuba is generally safer than most countries, with violent attacks extremely rare. Petty theft (eg rifled luggage in hotel rooms or unattended shoes disappearing from the beach) is common, but preventative measures work wonders. Pickpocketing is preventable: wear your bag in front of you on...
Begging is more widespread and is exacerbated by tourists who hand out money, soap, pens, chewing gum and other things to people on the street. If you truly want to do something to help, pharmacies and hospitals will accept medicine donations, schools happily take pens, paper, crayons etc, and libraries will gratefully accept books. Alternatively pass stuff onto your casa particular owner or leave it at a local church. Hustlers are called jineteros/jineteras (male/female touts), and can be a real nuisance.

Health
From a medical point of view, Cuba is generally safe as long as you're reasonably careful about what you eat and drink. The most common travel-related diseases, such as dysentery and hepatitis, are acquired by the consumption of contaminated food and water. Mosquito-borne illnesses are not a significant concern on most of the islands within the Cuban archipelago. Pregnant women or women who plan to get pregnant and their partners should check travel advisories before going to Cuba.
Prevention is the key to staying healthy while traveling around Cuba. Travelers who receive the recommended vaccines and follow commonsense precautions usually come away with nothing more than a little diarrhea.

Insurance
Since May 2010, Cuba has made it obligatory for all foreign visitors to have medical insurance. Random checks are made at the airport, so ensure you bring a printed copy of your policy.
Should you end up in hospital, call Asistur for help with insurance and medical assistance. The company has regional offices in Havana, Varadero, Cayo Coco, Guardalavaca and Santiago de Cuba.
Outpatient treatment at international clinics is reasonably priced, but emergency and prolonged hospitalization gets expensive (the free medical system for Cubans should only be used when there is no other option).
Should you have to purchase medical insurance on arrival, you will pay from CUC$3 per day for coverage of up to CUC$25,000 in medical expenses (for illness) and CUC$10,000 for repatriation of a sick person.

Travelers can purchase such a policy in their country of residence, prior to their trip, but they can also purchase it at their arrival in Cuba, just at the point of entering.
 
In case of buying the insurance at the arrival in Cuba, they can choose one of the following options:
 

                                                  (1 CUC = 1.08 USD)
 
 FOR THE INSURANCE PURCHASED AT ARRIVAL ONLY
 
In both options (A and B) an extra premium of 2.00 CUC per passenger per day should be paid by those who intend to take part in sport competitions or practicing high risk sports, such as alpinism, diving, parachuting, etc. 
 
An extra premium of 2.00 CUC per passenger per day should be paid by people older than 70 years as well.
 

Health Care for Foreigners in Cuba

The Cuban government has established a for-profit health system for foreigners called Servimed, which is entirely separate from the free, not-for-profit system that takes care of Cuban citizens. There are more than 40 Servimed health centers across the island, offering primary care as well as a variety of specialty and high-tech services. If you're staying in a hotel, the usual way to access the system is to ask the manager for a physician referral. Servimed centers accept walk-ins. While Cuban hospitals provide some free emergency treatment for foreigners, this should only be used when there is no other option. Remember that in Cuba medical resources are scarce and the local popullation should be given priority in free health-care facilities.
If you develop a life-threatening medical problem, you'll probably want to be evacuated to a country with state-of-the-art medical care. Since this may cost tens of thousands of dollars, be sure you have insurance to cover this before you depart.
There are special pharmacies for foreigners also run by the Servimed system, but all Cuban pharmacies are notoriously short on supplies, including pharmaceuticals. Be sure to bring along adequate quantities of all medications you might need, both prescription and over the counter. Also, be sure to bring along a fully stocked medical kit. Pharmacies marked turno permanenteor pilotos are open 24 hours.

Tap Water
Tap water in Cuba is not reliably safe to drink. Bottled water called Ciego Montero rarely costs more than CUC$1, but is sometimes not available in small towns. Stock up in the cities when going on long bus or car journeys.

cubamigos@yahoo.es