An expensive failure: how much it cost to treat Russian tourists abroad

Fish bites, falling off an ATV or bicycle, and careless diving were the reasons for the most expensive treatment of injuries suffered by Russian tourists abroad last year, Izvestia found out after surveying insurance companies. In particular, 1-1.4 million rubles was required for surgeries after falls in Turkey. But it is not injuries that are more expensive, but diseases. Thus, the maximum price insurance companies charged for the removal of appendicitis in the United States - €150 thousand (almost Br15 million). It was not cheap to get rid of intestinal obstruction in Thailand - you had to pay Br5 million. The Izvestia article describes how Russians "crippled" themselves abroad in 2024 and what they were ill with.

How tourists are injured

Most often abroad tourists from Russia were injured in 2024 as a result of falls, reported "Izvestia" in insurance companies. Among the most expensive cases are injuries in Turkey. Thus, according to Rosgosstrakh, the company paid 1.9 million rubles for the treatment of one fallen tourist in this country, for the second -1.1 million. The price for the second tourist included payment for three operations.

A similar amount was transferred for the treatment of a Russian tourist by the insurance company "Soglasiye". The woman had a vacation in Turkey with her family and, going back to Russia, when entering the plane at Antalya airport she stumbled and fell from a height of about 10 meters down to the airfield.

- The woman suffered severe combined trauma: head injury, fracture of several vertebrae, ribs and damage to a lung. Total costs amounted to more than $15 thousand (1.4 million rubles. - Ed.), - said the company.

Road traffic accidents are more expensive. In 2024 in Thailand, after an accident, a Russian tourist underwent several surgeries and organized transportation to Russia accompanied by a doctor, said Artem Iskra, managing director of the retail insurance underwriting department of Renaissance Insurance. The cost of the service amounted to 8 million rubles.

The consequences of entertainment are not cheap. In Egypt, during a sea excursion, a woman jumped from the lower deck into the sea and hit her head on the seabed, receiving a "diver's injury" in the form of a fracture of the cervical spine, said the experts of "Soglasiye".

- In order to decompress the spinal cord, the tourist was operated on as a matter of urgency," the company said. - After her condition was stabilized, she was transported to Russia on a stretcher accompanied by a resuscitation team. The costs of the case exceeded $25 thousand.

Elena Kosheleva, Project Director of SberStrakhovanie, said that last year the company paid the most for the treatment of a tourist in Thailand - 3.8 million rubles: the man suffered a spinal injury while riding an ATV.

- Another insurance payment amounted to Br1.9 million - in Turkey a man's left hand was damaged by a boat cable," she said.

In Vietnam, a woman fell off a bicycle and landed on her head, she lost consciousness several times, complained of headache and nausea, but categorically refused to go to the clinic, and asked to organize a doctor's visit at home, said Maria Prostova, product manager of the Department of Personal and Travel Insurance of RESO-Guarantia.

- After the examination it turned out that serious treatment was necessary. The insurer is still waiting for an invoice for payment from the clinic," she added. - Another case is related to a fish bite on the index finger in Sri Lanka. It required primary surgical treatment with stitches and cost about €1,000.

How much does it cost to get sick abroad

Sudden cases of tourists' illnesses or exacerbation of chronic diseases are not cheap for companies. For example, in Italy, a Russian woman went to the emergency department with complaints of headache, which did not go away for several days, said in "Rosgostrakh". According to the results of a CT scan, the woman was found to have hemorrhage due to a ruptured aneurysm, she underwent emergency surgery and was sent to a neurosurgical intensive care unit. The treatment cost 1.3 million rubles.

And a tourist in Nepal, who was mountaineering there, at an altitude of more than 5 thousand meters fell ill in her stomach, said the company "Soglasiye". Local rescue services urgently transported her by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu. There, the woman was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and underwent surgery. The total cost amounted to almost $18 thousand (Br1.7 million).

In the United States, a Russian tourist hospitalized with appendicitis was also operated on, but it was much more expensive than in Nepal - €150 thousand (14.8 million rubles), said Anton Kolegov, head of the underwriting and methodology department of AlfaStrakhovanie.

The treatment of a woman diagnosed with "pneumonia with parapneumonic effusion, purulent pleurisy, clinical sepsis" cost Br4 million, said Natalia Tylina, head of the claims settlement department of Absolut Insurance.

- Doctors performed surgery, opened the chest cavity, the woman spent two weeks in the hospital," she said.

In Hong Kong, the Russian tourist was diagnosed with "parapharyngeal abscess, neck adenitis" and underwent surgical intervention. The amount of expenses for hospitalization amounted to 4.7 million, Anton Kolegov added.

In Thailand, the tourist was helped to get rid of intestinal obstruction - for more than 5 million rubles, Maria Prostova added.

Why insurance is necessary

The most dynamic growth of insurance payments last year was recorded in Egypt, China, Turkey, UAE and Maldives, said Andrey Burlak, Deputy General Director for Retail Sales of Absolut Insurance.

In 2024, the number of applications has increased, in particular for complex cases requiring hospitalization and subsequent transportation, explained Marina Melikyan, Head of the Travel Insurance Directorate of VSK Insurance House. The number of costly events, when expenses amounted to more than $20 thousand, increased by 60%. And average incidents, the cost of which varies from $10 to $20 thousand, - by 2.21 times.

- And the point is not that insurance has become more frequent, but that the number of hospitalizations related to various vascular complications, prolonged respiratory diseases and severe consequences of gastrointestinal diseases has increased, - said the expert. - We also record the number of road accidents in countries with not the most organized road traffic, such as Egypt and Thailand.

Travel agencies always insure Russian citizens, reminded Alexan Mkrtchyan, vice-president of the Alliance of Travel Agencies of Russia. On average, the cost of insurance payment is $50-60 thousand depending on the destination.

- People who travel independently are not insured, - the expert emphasized. - This is about 75-80% of tourists, i.e. the overwhelming majority. They hope that they will be lucky. And then we hear stories that in Thailand broke his arm or leg, fell off a motorcycle, open fracture, immovable, can not be transported. And relatives start collecting funds to evacuate the person.

Now among insurance companies there is a big competition for tourists, so if something happens, they do not refuse to pay, the expert emphasized.

The cost of the policy is affected by the size of the sum insured, the direction, the age of the tourist, the purpose of the trip, told "Izvestia" senior underwriter of the direction of Travel online insurance "Luchi" Julia Manakova. Expensive destinations, she said, are all of Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, as well as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America.

- The reasons - high cost of medicine, remoteness, as in case of early evacuation or repatriation after death - expensive flight for the insured and accompanying persons, - she explained. - Inexpensive destinations are the CIS countries, Europe, the Russian Federation.

But it is unlikely that Russians will become more often insured when traveling abroad, believes Alexan Mkrtchyan.

- Such stories do not teach people, most people think that it will not happen to them, and then what always happens happens," he said.

Medical care abroad is becoming more and more expensive, so the cost of standard insurance premiums should increase in the coming years, the specialist is convinced.