How to Prepare for a Medical Emergency Abroad

 

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Although traveling is meant to be a fun, relaxing, and enjoyable time for many, it doesn’t mean that illnesses or serious injury can’t occur while you’re in a foreign country. At the best of times, dealing with an emergency can be stressful and difficult to get through, but that stress and difficulty intensifies if it happens in a land where you may not speak the language and where their health care system is drastically different to the one you know.

It’s important to know from the beginning, that not every nation has a reliable and robust medical care system, so it’s always important to put the appropriate measures in place to try and limit your need for a hospital visit, as sometimes the logistics of getting care as a foreigner can cause complications that may really threaten the patient’s life. Here are some key tips on how to deal with a medical emergency abroad.

Join a Repatriation Scheme 

Repatriation is the process of returning patients to their native country in order for them to receive the proper care when they’re injured abroad. This is a useful option to have as sometimes if a patient’s condition is serious, and hospitals in the country where the emergency took place may be ill-equipped to provide treatment, which could cost that patient their life if the need for treatment is urgent.

Repatriation is a difficult process logistically, that why it’s a good idea to utilize a service to perform the operation on your behalf, as good quality medical repatriation services will seamlessly carry out this need for you and connect you to some of the leading hospitals to help treat your injury or condition and provide all the aftercare that’s required. Using a service like this ensures comfort, convenience, and calmness if the worst does happen when you’re away.

Bring Your Medication with You

Too many people travel without accounting for all their medication and treatments, thinking that they’ll be able to grab what they need at their destination. It’s always best to have everything you need with you, including some stuff that can be useful to have if problems arise, as in some places it can be hard to find a pharmacy, and when you do find one, it can be even more difficult to navigate the language barrier to try and find what you need. Make sure to pack the essentials you need for every trip.

Also, pack some other first aid essentials, like plasters and bandages, so that you can fix up any small cuts and bruises that might arise. Additionally, it’s also a good idea to carry a list of any medication you take, any allergies you have and any ongoing health issues you have, especially if you’re an at-risk person. This information can be crucial in giving you effective treatment if you do fall ill abroad.

Invest in Travel Medical Insurance

Regardless if you’re a frequent traveler, or going on your first trip in five years, it’s important to ensure that you have the best insurance you can get. This will help protect you if serious issues arise while you’re away. This is because your ability to find adequate treatment abroad is determined by the quality of your insurance, so if it’s not that great, you could be left with an injury like a broken bone and have no options to get it treated. 

It’s best to research travel medical insurance as soon as your trip is booked, as it can help you be more prepared as you’ll know what exactly is and isn’t covered. It’s never a good idea to assume that a serious injury won’t happen to you because no matter how careful you are, tragedy can always strike, so it’s always best to be prepared.