Four countries with excellent healthcare systems in the world for expats

Thinking about moving abroad? Choosing to start a new life in an unfamiliar country is a big decision and the quality of local healthcare is a major part of it.

Malaysia


Thinking about a move to Malaysia? The Southeast Asian country takes the top spot in the world's best healthcare category according to Free Malaysia Today. The healthcare in Malaysia’s world class system features up-to-date technology and infrastructure.

Language barriers are lessened by almost all doctors being fluent in English (most were trained in the U.K., U.S., or Australia). So it’s no surprise that it’s a top medical tourist destination. 

Expats can choose between private and public hospitals and unlike many countries, treatment at the private hospitals is generally affordable.  

Malaysia is increasingly hiring foreign doctors as well, highlighting the growth in both its public and private healthcare provisioning. 
Malaysia
France

France

France is Europe’s favorite tourist destination receiving approximately 80 million foreign visitors each year, as well as being a popular destination for expatriates. 

The French healthcare system is a major pulling factor for people moving to France seeking a better quality of life. The cost of healthcare is comparatively affordable according to 40% of respondents who took part in InterNations expat survey

The World Health Organization (WHO) gave France second place in their index, with a score of 93 points out of 100, with a focus on life expectancy as an indicator.“Life expectancy now averages 85.7 years for women and 80.1 for men according to the latest WHO data published in 2018, giving France a World Life Expectancy ranking of 5—the United States by contrast ranks at 34.” – WHO rankings.Expats who are living and working in France, within three months of your arrival, register and pay into the French social security system in exchange for certain government benefits which covers healthcare. If you are working, we  advise you to speak to your employer on how to set it up.

Thailand

Thailand is perhaps less well known as a country that offers exceptional healthcare from an expatriate’s point of view. However, hospital staff are well trained, English-speaking medics and provide quality services. Thailand is extremely budget friendly for expats in general, so it’s no surprise that healthcare in Thailand is relatively affordable. 

However, it’s important that expats relocating to Thailand have health insurance as there is no national system within the country available to them. This would surprise some, but it's notable that outpatient care in Thailand at a private level is cheap and affordable for expats, in part because one-0ff consultations are much cheaper, even without insurance, than they would be in Europe's private healthcare sector. 
Thailand
Ecuador

Ecuador

Perhaps unexpectedly, International living found that Ecuador is well established as a country that provides high-quality, low-cost healthcare as explained. If you’re relocating to the capital city - Quito - healthcare there is among the best and only costs a small portion of what you would pay in North America. Ecuador has an extremely high ratio of doctors to general population, which helps make medical care easily attainable.
With state-of-the-art equipment and private doctors who go the extra mile, Ecuadorian healthcare generally means being given a high-quality service. 

Although both private and public healthcare is available, many expats have favored private care. Private health services incur fees, of course, but these charges usually can be considered quite affordable. “Typically, you might pay as little as 10-30% of the price you would pay for the same clinical or surgical procedure in the United States.” – Expect discovery.

As of May 1, 2018, all expats have had to produce proof of health insurance as an entry requirement. Despite this being the law, the implementation process as of 2020 has not yet been fully finalized, but we would not recommend entering Ecuador without health insurance already arranged if you are planning to relocate there.