IMG Global Prima international health insurance for expats in Africa

IMG's Global Primary Medical Insurance, sold as Global Prima, is a modular plan with five medical tiers and optional dental and maternity, backed by one of the widest ranges of underwriting bases on the market. IPMIAfrica explains how it fits Africa.

Five tiers and two add-ons

Global Primary Medical Insurance (GPMI), marketed as Global Prima, is the single international private medical insurance (IPMI) plan that came out of combining IMG and ALC Health. The design is deliberately modular. You choose a tier for the medical core, then decide whether to add dental and routine maternity, each at an extra premium. Nothing you do not need is bundled in.

• Dental: optional on every tier, with a six-month waiting period. Accidental damage is covered immediately.
• Routine maternity: optional on all five tiers, with a ten-month waiting period.

What the core covers and when the add-ons start

The medical core pays for inpatient and day-patient hospital treatment on every tier, and out-patient cover scales up as you climb from Bronze to Platinum. Dental and maternity sit outside the core, which is what keeps the premium down for people who do not need them.

The waiting periods are the detail to plan around. Dental starts paying six months after purchase and routine maternity ten months after, so both need to be added well before you expect to claim. A family planning a pregnancy in the coming year should add maternity now rather than at renewal. Our guide to inpatient versus outpatient cover explains what the scaling out-patient benefit means at each tier.

The widest underwriting menu

IMG lists more underwriting routes than most insurers, so there is usually one that fits your situation:

Full Medical Underwriting (FMU)

You give your full history. The application has three headline knockout health questions. IMG then offers standard terms, applies personal exclusions, or declines, so you know where you stand before you buy.

Moratorium

No declaration at application. Recent pre-existing conditions are excluded and can become eligible after a continuous symptom-free and treatment-free period.

Continuing Personal Medical Exclusions (CPME)

Switching insurer carries your existing exclusions across unchanged, with no fresh underwriting of new conditions.

Medical History Disregarded (MHD)

A group-scheme basis where members' medical history is ignored, so pre-existing conditions are not excluded. It is only for company or group policies that meet a minimum number of lives, which varies by insurer, and is not available to individuals.

One helpful detail from IMG's terms: if it cannot offer the underwriting type you applied for, it may offer an alternative. That makes advice worthwhile, because the route you are offered decides what is covered from day one. Our pre-existing conditions guide explains each basis, and an experienced adviser confirms the terms before purchase.

Pre-authorisation and direct billing

• Planned inpatient or day-patient treatment should be pre-authorised as early as possible, and no later than five working days before admission.
• Once a claim is pre-authorised and eligible, IMG issues a Guarantee of Payment to the hospital and settles directly, so you are not out of pocket.
• The MyIMG / MyALC online member area handles pre-authorisation, claims, facility search and documents, supported by a 24-hour helpline and WhatsApp.
• Quote the pre-authorisation number on any follow-up correspondence, and keep bank details current for reimbursements.

Using IMG Global from Africa

The material this page is based on confirms IMG's area of cover and plan currency at quote rather than publishing them, so readers in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Tanzania and Mauritius should ask two questions when they quote: which geographic area the plan is issued for, and whether it includes treatment outside your country of residence. In countries where serious illness may mean travelling for care, that second point decides whether the plan does its job. Our guide to regional versus worldwide cover sets out the trade-off.

The direct-billing model travels well. Because IMG issues a Guarantee of Payment once planned treatment is pre-authorised, a member admitted to a hospital that accepts it does not need to fund the bill and claim back. The five-working-day pre-authorisation rule for planned admissions is the thing to diarise; emergencies are a separate matter and the 24-hour helpline and WhatsApp line are the contact points. IPMIAfrica compares IMG on the same inputs as every other insurer so the modular saving, if any, shows up as a real number.

Who IMG Global suits

IMG is a strong fit if you want to pay only for the cover you will use, with dental and maternity as optional extras, and especially if your medical history needs a flexible underwriting route. For company or group cover, the Medical History Disregarded basis can set members' history aside entirely, subject to a minimum number of lives.

It is worth comparing alternatives if you want dental and maternity included as standard or prefer a different plan structure. See the Cigna versus IMG and Allianz versus IMG comparisons, or browse all insurers we cover.

Frequently asked questions

This page is general information, not personal or medical advice, and is based on IMG Global Prima (GPMI) plan documentation; exact terms, limits and underwriting are confirmed by the insurer at quote. Prices are indicative. IMG and the IMG logo are trademarks of International Medical Group.