I’ve had a medical emergency abroad and don’t speak the language – how can I get home?
Cheaper and more frequent flights mean that holidays can now be taken in most countries across the world – ranging from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Bulgaria and Croatia in Europe to Egypt, Indonesia and Dubai. Most of the time, holidays bring relaxation and enjoyment, but occasionally travellers fall ill or have an accident while abroad. If that should happen, being so far away can suddenly become a problem – especially if you don’t speak the same language as the doctors there. This can be even more difficult if the language has of a different alphabet, such as Arabic, Chinese or Russian.
Our team at EMS Air Ambulance & Medical Repatriation can help. We specialise in medical evacuation around the globe, and have a large, highly skilled worldwide network of doctors and medical specialists who speak a wide variety of languages.
Contact us as soon as you can
If you think you need to be medically evacuated from a foreign country, we recommend you contact us as soon as you can, and we will immediately contact our colleagues in the country where you are. Our contact – who will be a highly qualified medical professional – will review your medical situation and speak to the doctors in your hospital. We can even provide a second expert diagnosis if necessary.
Don’t worry if you don’t speak the same language as your doctors. We can translate medical reports and doctor’s letters, and liaise with doctors and hospitals on your behalf. And we can arrange quick and safe transportation home.
Getting home
Communication won’t be a problem on the way home, either, as most of our medical crew – including doctors and advanced paramedics – speak multiple languages. Our team of anesthesiologists, cardiologists, emergency doctors and paramedics specialise in critical care and know how to keep patients stable.
At EMS Air Ambulance & Medical Repatriation we offer a range of expert medical evacuation services via road ambulance or air ambulance, or we can provide a medical escort for commercial flights. Our road and air ambulances contain state-of-the-art, Intensive Care Unit-level equipment. Administering medication, performing heart massage and intubating patients are all possible during the evacuation process.
During the journey home we maintain contact between the medical crew and the medical director or coordinator in our headquarters. We make decisions based on the four-eyes principle, where two people need to agree before any course of action is taken. And, of course, we maintain contact with the patient’s family at home.
We offer a bed-to-bed service, so we can find you a bed at your home hospital and liaise with the doctors there. And because we will have already translated all your medical information from the overseas hospital, communicating well with your home hospital and medical staff will be straightforward.
For any further information on our medical evacuation services, please don’t hesitate to contact us by phone at +44 20 3514 6797, by email at info@ems-ambulance.com, or by chat. We’re here to help.