When You Get Sick While Traveling in a Foreign Country Standards of medical care vary from country to country. Urban locations generally have more options than rural ones. But in case an illness requires specialized care facility, there a few and some in a limited number of countries only. It is always wise to keep the details of medical facilities of the areas one is travelling to handy. And it cannot be reiterated enough that a travel insurance cover is a must. Most hotels in the developing countries have in-house doctors, who can be called in case of an emergency. They are mostly fully equipped to provide all kinds of assistance to the tourists. Some resorts can also organize a visit to the doctor if need be so. But travelers who fall ill seriously need to consider going to the nearest hospital in order to get the best professional medical care. Most countries advise their citizens to get in touch with the closest consulate in case of a medical emergency. Let’s read a little more about what a traveler can do, in case he falls ill abroad –
1. Help from Consulates The consulates of most countries can help you in the following way –
Provide travelers with a list of local doctors and heath facilities.
Advise a traveler on options available for medical care.
Offer the traveler all assistance possible in the situation.
Inform friends and family of the patient, in case he or she is travelling alone.
Get in touch with a travelers medical insurance on his behalf.
Get details of a patient’s medical history from his family doctor back home.
Make arrangements for a safe evacuation, if the medical facilities are incapable of handling the medical crisis.
Certain nations like Canada, also issue a distress loan subject to certain conditions.
2. Symptoms of Illness If a traveler sees the following symptoms while travelling, he should consult a doctor right away and should not ignore the situation at any cost.
Has high fever beyond 102° F
Has diarrhea and especially if it is the bloody kind
Is travelling in a malaria prone area and has high fever or flu
Is bitten by an animal or a reptile
Has met with a car accident
Has been injured seriously in an accident
Has been sexually assaulted
Till the time the tourist makes it to the doctor’s office he should ensure that he keeps himself hydrated and in cases of diarrhea starts on ORS.
3. If a Traveler Gets Sick on an Aero plane If a traveler on an air plane suddenly feels ill, he should inform the crew immediately. Persistent coughing might lead to the crew asking the traveler to cover his face with a surgical mask. If the symptoms aggravate, the patient might be moved to a separate section of the plane. For an emergency life and death situation, the airplane might also be diverted to the nearest airport.
4. Be Prepared Before undertaking travel to a foreign country, it is advisable for a traveler to be thorough with his preparations in order to handle any untoward situation. He should keep the following points in mind –
Check for a travel insurance and select one that offers the most extensive cover
Carry all his regular medication with him along with the prescription.
Keep the phone numbers of the consulate of his country and its address handy.
Make a note of all major health facilities in the region that he is going to visit.
Pack a small first aid kit to carry with him.
Ensure that all travelers have completed their immunization schedules
He should try not to overdo it in a holiday, having a control on the late nights, drinking and eating out, is a good idea.
5. Travelling Without Travel Insurance Travelling with a valid travel insurance cover is not a legal requirement. But travelling without it is putting the life of the travelers at a big risk. Medical treatment abroad can be very expensive and the
stress of being in a foreign country only adds to the confusion. Travelers who get ill in UK or Australia might be entitled to a limited amount of public funds for non routine procedures. Travelers, who get stuck in a medical crisis, need to get in touch with their immediate family to help them out if possible. The only option left is to get in touch with the consulate and seek help from them.
About the Owner: Dr. Jim Evans practices emergency medicine in Virginia and Maryland. He is the managing director of Sentinel MED. He oversees a team of medical escorts that is selected for their experience and knowledge of international medicine and that deploy globally.
He has
worked for a large global medical assistance company for the last decade, providing both direction for the medical cases and being the medical escorts for our patients who are ill or injured while away from home.
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