If you are overseas in a remote country and all of a sudden you break your back, what do you do? You might go to a nearby local hospital and discover that it doesn’t have the proper medical facilities/equipment to treat you in the same way that a first-world country would.
You will realize that you need treatment somewhere else. Would medical evacuation be covered by your health insurance? Typically, international health insurance covers treatment and transportation overseas for emergency medical evacuation in addition to repatriation of remains.
Medical evacuation and repatriation coverage are usually both covered under international health insurance. If you are traveling to a remote area, where proper medical facilities are not in place, emergency medical evacuation cover would transport you to another facility that can better attend to your situation. If the other facility is not local, then emergency medical evacuation coverage will pay for you to be airlifted to a better facility. Since emergency medical evacuation can be quite expensive, it is better to sign up for a plan with up to $250,000 limit or more for your international health insurance plan.
Areas Where Emergency Medical Evacuation is Most Vital?
Anybody traveling to an area where serious illnesses are prevalent (such those traveling to West Africa or Asia where diseases such as Ebola, polio, cholera, and other epidemics are present) should consider purchasing medical evacuation and repatriation insurance in case you become affected. They serve as addition and extra layer of protection for expats visiting those areas, where medical facilities may not be able to provide adequate medical care.
Why is Medical Evacuation Coverage Necessary?
There are several situations where medical evacuation insurance is essential:
- When a person is admitted to a hospital that doesn’t have the necessary treatment available, he/she will be transferred to another hospital with a proper facility that will provide treatment
- When an person’s medical condition requires immediate transportation to the closest medical facility for treatment
- When a family member needs to be brought into the country to attend to the sick or injured, known as emergency reunion coverage, which covers flight, meal, room and board
Each of these scenarios has the potential of placing a remarkable financial and emotional burden on the individuals and families affected. Obtaining medical evacuation cover helps to take away these burdens.
About Flying Doctors Nigeria
In Africa Flying Doctors Nigeria provides Medical evacuation and repatriation cover which is imperative for any traveller or expatriate especially, to ensure help is put in place in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
It usually denotes transport to the nearest appropriate medical facility within or outside the country where the medical emergency occurred either via a ground ambulance, a helicopter, an air ambulance, a commercial flight, or other suitable mode of transportation, depending on the situation.
For more information of air ambulances, medical evacuation or evacuation cover please visit our website www.flyingdoctorsnigeria.com or send email to sales@flyingdoctorsnigeria.com
