Healix International unveils security and medical hotspots for 2020

“There are very few barriers these days to global business,” explained Andrew Devereux, Associate Analyst at Healix International, introducing the company’s latest tool to help manage the travel risks of business travellers. He reasoned that because businesspeople are travelling to more locations than ever, the call for the risk management of these business travellers has only increased.

With this in mind, Healix’s 2020 Medical and Security Risk Map has been designed to show users the areas of the world where the security environment is hostile and healthcare facilities are extremely limited, and thus enable businesses (and business travellers) to ensure that the right risk mitigation strategy is being implemented ahead of an employee travelling overseas.

For example, Healix International’s map details that in areas such as Canada, Greenland and Ireland, the security risk rating is ‘minimal’, with a medical risk rating of ‘very low’; and in countries such as Libya, Somalia and Afghanistan the risk rating is ‘extreme’, with a medical risk rating to match. Elsewhere, some countries can score high in security risk, but low in medical risk – and vice versa. Israel, for example, rates high on the risk rating axis (‘extreme’), but low on the medical risk rating axis (‘very low’); while Iceland, Christmas island (located in the Indian Ocean), and Norfolk Island (an Australian island in the South Pacific Ocean) are all rated as ‘minimal’ in terms of security risk, but they present a high medical risk to travellers due to their isolated locations.

“What is interesting is some of the regions worldwide where there is a moderate or high security or medical risk,” said Devereux. “Some of these locations might be assumed to be ‘safe’, but the reality is that health services could be limited, certainly compared to Western European expectations, or the security situation is unstable.”

Commenting on the deductions drawn from the map, Devereux added that whilst the prevailing risks in most of these areas are probably not surprising, there’s still a need to ensure the right mitigation approach is being taken ahead of any employee travel or assignment overseas. “We work with businesses operating around the world to help them understand the risks that their employees may face in different regions and provide the network of local medical and security risk experts to ensure that duty of care remains paramount,” he said.

You can download a copy of Healix International’s risk map here, or else check out our recent report on International SOS' travel risk map, which details the world's most dangerous countries.