Health / travel / expat insurance

Hi everyone,

this is my first post in here...I hope you can help me!

My son aged 24 is going to be living in Brunei shortly. He is UK born. He has a three month tourist visa initially but is aiming to eventually stay for up to four years and work in Brunei. He hasn't got a job yet but there is the possibility of one. He's moving to be with his girlfriend who is Bruneian (don't know if I spelled that right!).

My query is around health insurance. As a gift I have offered to sort this out for him but I am struggling to know what kind to look for. So far I have heard of the following possibilities:
- Expat health insurance which seems very expensive, at around £500 - £2000 per year;
- Backpackers travel insurance which would cover him for up to 12 months and would be around £150 - £200 for effectively the same cover as expat insurance but not designed for those staying over 12 months....but tempting to use for the first 12 months anyway...;
- Get some kind of 'local' (i.e. a Bruneian company) health insurance when he is over there, but add in repatriation if possible;
- Go with no insurance.....the health care is free, is it??

I'd appreciate any responses but particularly from any Brits in Brunei who have looked into the insurance issue.

many thanks

Selks