STORY: Read about how the right to treatment works in practice
As a student outside the EU/EEA countries, United Kingdom and Switzerland
How Timo beat the flu in Chile
Timo travels to Chile to study for an entire academic year. He gets a nasty flu that will not go away. Timo books an appointment with a doctor, who prescribes him a course of antibiotics and a week of rest. The doctor gives him an invoice that he must pay himself. He claims reimbursement of the fee charged by the doctor from his travel insurance company.
Grounds for Timo’s right to treatment
Since Timo is studying outside the EU/EEA countries, United Kingdom and Switzerland, he cannot use a European Health Insurance Card. Timo should take out travel insurance that covers medical care costs. Otherwise, he would have to pay all of his medical care costs himself because Kela will not reimburse expenses resulting from medical care outside the EU area.
Exception
If Timo studied in Quebec, Canada, he would be entitled to receive medical care on the same grounds as local residents, thanks to the social security agreement between Finland and Quebec. In this case, he would receive the treatment for the same fee as the local residents. Timo would do well to take out travel insurance in any case, since it may cover air ambulance costs, for instance.