Testimonial

When you travel abroad with your family, one of the most important things to take note of is the standard of the local medical facilities should a member of your family become ill. The following Evacuation and Repatriation Case File indicates how necessary it is to have a comprehensive travel insurance policy if you travel anywhere in Africa. TIC client, Mr B*, who works for a large company in Lusaka, Zambia, is insured with a TIC Corporate policy.

He lives in Lusaka with his family and when his six-week-old baby boy fell ill with the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) after catching the virus from his older sibling, he was faced with an incredibly stressful situation. Mr B says: "My toddler caught a cold and passed it to my six-week-old baby. I took him to the local paediatrician who said he was ne. Two days later we woke up to our baby was weak and wouldn't feed. I rushed him o to the doctor and he was admitted to the local hospital. He had an IV and they nebulised him regularly and they started him on a course of antibiotics. "However, I found the hospital staff unprofessional and they showed a lack of interest. The hospital room was dirty and lacked the usual items such as a cot and the call button should you need assistance. "My son was discharged after three days but battled to breathe in the late afternoon. We then started the medical evacuation procedure. He had to be admitted again until the evacuation could take place. We were collected from our hospital room in the evening of the fourth day. "The paramedics were fantastic. We arrived late that night in Johannesburg. My son was admitted to Sandton Medi-Clinic in the NICU ward where they stayed and the doctors were great. They diagnosed him with the RS virus, and he had respiratory failure amongst other complications. He was in hospital for three weeks and had to stay in South Africa for a few weeks after discharge. "The assistance company looked after us really well and reassured me that all would be fine. I think it is essential to have travel insurance especially if one is in a country where the medical care is questionable. If we didn't have that option our baby wouldn't have survived." In Africa available medical facilities and expertise is a problem. There is therefore a very high chance that you might need to be evacuated by an air ambulance from an African country should you require emergency medical assistance. Air evacuations are expensive and there are many complications for the crew to manage, such as coping with night landings on poor runways, being ambushed by armed gangs, and dealing with airport officials who require US dollar bribes before allowing pilots to leave the country.

TIC contracts the services of the world's leading assistance companies who provide international medical as well as general customer assistance to our clients in the event of an emergency. This enables TIC to manage the risks facing our corporate clients in international locations. Secondees, expats or short-term business travellers all require adequate insurance for themselves and their families in the event that they incur a travel or medical emergency. TIC has a range of products to suit the type of business travel undertaken.