A HEALTHY REMINDER FOR NORTH EAST HOLIDAYMAKERS

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 20th Jul 2009

With school term coming to a close and families preparing for their summer holidays, a North East MEP is advising holidaymakers to make sure that they have an up to date European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if they are travelling abroad this summer.

Latest figures suggest that 30,500,000 people in Britain, about half the population, now have one of the new insurance cards that provide access to medical treatment in all countries of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.

But Liberal Democrat Euro-MP Fiona Hall says that every year there are holidaymakers who incur unnecessary medical expenses because they have forgotten to apply for one of the free cards.

Said Fiona:

"The European Health Insurance Card is one of the best examples of European Union partnership but its benefits vary from country to country. British citizens with the card have the right to medical help on the same terms as local residents of the countries they are visiting at a reduced cost or sometimes free of charge."

However, Fiona also warns that the EHIC is no alternative to additional private travel insurance:

"EHIC entitles holidaymakers to treatment that may become necessary during that trip but it does not include many extra benefits that come with standard private travel insurance such as mountain rescues and repatriation to the UK. It is therefore still advisable to have both EHIC and valid private travel insurance."

Every family member needs their own European Health Insurance Card. It can be obtained online from www.ehic.org.uk, by telephoning 0845 606 2030, or by completing a form from the Post Office.