Bupa International’s new global medical insurance plan could help to ease the burden of absence management, the group has claimed.

David Grint, Bupa International’s commercial director, explained that the organisation’s Worldwide Health Options could enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to ensure that any of their staff who were suffering from a sickness would receive a swift diagnosis, which would in turn mean they could return to work more quickly.

"This is particularly important for small businesses where the financial impact of an absent employee is significant," he stated.

Mr Grint added that for SMEs with staff based in countries where there was no healthcare infrastructure, the knowledge that they could access quality medical treatment quickly was "vital".

Worldwide Health Options is a flexible plan that can be tailor-made to suit individual customers’ needs.

Customers can be treated in any one of Bupa’s 5,500 participating hospitals and clinics worldwide and will also be offered the option to manage their cover online.

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