A Business Traveller's Accident with a Safe Ending

Business expansion into Africa is booming. Providing employees with adequate travel insurance is vital as medical facilities and expertise can be inadequate in African countries. Mr Fred*, who works on a farming project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, injured himself and required TIC's highly professional expertise to get him back on his feet again. He says, "I was climbing on to a tractor when the heavy-duty door closed on my right torso. It hit my ribs and resulted in blunt trauma on my lung. The pain was excruciating. I went back to my living quarters and lay there for about three days before my project manager decided to take me to the local private hospital in Kinshasa. "I was in the hospital for three days before the doctors decided that they could not help me sufficiently. TIC then transported me to South Africa where I was treated with antibiotics and physiotherapy. After I was discharged from hospital I rested for two weeks before being declared t to return to work in the DRC. "Unfortunately, what was not clear on the X-rays was that the trauma had created a sort of dripping wound that was slowly building up over time. Eventually I was coughing as if I had serious bronchitis. At night I could not even sleep due to all the coughing. I was sent to the hospital in Kinshasa again and the same doctor took X-rays of my lungs and immediately told me that I would have to return to South Africa because he was not able to treat me properly in the DRC. TIC arranged a flight for me to South Africa where it was discovered that I needed an operation on my lung. "I was very impressed by the way my case was handled. My wife was immediately contacted and informed that I was being flown back to South Africa. When I phoned her to tell her the news, she already had all the details. The medical care personnel from TIC really assisted me and made my journey as comfortable as possible. I was swiftly transported from the airport by ambulance to the hospital and they only left after they were sure I was well taken care of. "I will never work in a foreign country without travel insurance cover. Even though the hospital in Kinshasa was not able to treat me, I still incurred costs in American Dollars just being admitted to the hospital. I would not have been able to pay that kind of money. I really felt cared for by TIC the whole time. My wife told me how they kept her up to date with all the different stages of the process to get me back to South Africa. I was really impressed with their service. I even flew back in first class the second time on a commercial flight due to the special care they thought I should have as a patient. I would really recommend TIC to be the insurer of choice when travelling. I know it's a cliche, but an accident can happen so fast."