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Nobody likes to think about it, but it happens – you may have an accident on holiday or fall seriously ill abroad, meaning you need to be repatriated home as soon as possible. You might even need intensive care transport, depending on the severity of your situation.
Whom to contact if you fall ill abroad?
Many people contact their insurance company first in such a situation. Insurances usually cover either part of or all the costs of medical repatriation, depending on their respective insurance policy. A question we are often asked is whether an illness is severe enough to make transport back home; a ‘medically necessary repatriation'. Unfortunately, insurance companies and patients do not always agree about what is necessary and what is not, questioning who will bear the repatriation costs?
If you fall ill abroad and you have no travel insurance, or if you disagree with your insurer about the need for a medical flight or air services, please contact us to discuss our repatriation service.
You do not need to have travel insurance for us to bring you home.
We do not believe medical repatriation has to be based on a 'medically necessary' basis only; we can arrange a flight home for you within a few hours.
How arrange medical repatriation from abroad with Medical Air Service work?
To arrange medical transportation from abroad, you just have to contact us. The process will work in the following way:
- Contact us: You have many ways to tell us about your current situation and request help – by phone, email or contact form. If time is of the essence, it is always the best and fastest option to call us. Our medical transportation team is available 24/7 to answer your questions. Don’t worry about taking up an emergency line – we are always ready to respond to all our customers, and will gladly answer all the questions you might have. We can also call you back, free of charge, wherever you are in the world.
- After we have received all the necessary information about the medical condition of the patient, the flight route, the number of people who will be travelling with the patient, etc., we get to work and calculate how much the medical repatriation will cost. Our quotation is free and no commitment from your side is required.
- You can take your time to discuss our quotation with your family or friends.
- If you are happy with the air ambulance price, you can start the booking process. We will start preparing all the necessary paperwork for the air ambulance flight. A fit-to-fly certificate is required. In most cases, we also bring the patient from the hospital to the airport. We offer you a comprehensive bed-to-bed service and take care of every aspect of the journey.
- You will receive a flight plan from us. Here, you will find flight times and information on the type of aircraft, departure and landing times (based on your convenience/preference), etc.
- If you have requested ground transportation to the airport, we will pick up the patient on the agreed date (thanks to our fast response times, in many cases this may be on the same day) from their hotel, home or hospital. Our highly qualified medical team will bring the patient to the airport by ambulance, usually directly to the air ambulance, which will be waiting for the patient.
- The ambulance aircraft takes off immediately, safely and quickly transporting the patient home while enabling medical care mid-air. The patient will be picked up by an ambulance at the destination airport and taken to their destination. Relatives can also arrange ground transport themselves; in that case, we are happy to provide answers to any questions you might have.
Do you have any questions?
In our FAQs, we answer your most frequently asked questions about air ambulance flights and medical repatriation.
Contact us
Our team members are available 24/7 to provide advice. We can arrange quick medical flights worldwide.
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