Travel-Health Insurance

We recently returned from five weeks in Tanzania. While we were there, my wife got quite ill while we were up in the Usambara Mountain area. The diarrhea had been going on for several days, but then her fever started up. As a precaution, we had brought a supply of Ciprofloxacin. What we didn't know was when and if we should start the medicine and how long we should continue it. Cipro is an extremely strong antibiotic, and should not be taken unless you really need it. Luckily, we had an annual membership with Global Rescue, a company that provides emergency medical evaculation. This company also provides a direct link with Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. We didn't bring a phone, but we did bring an iPad. I sent an email to Global Rescue describing our problem. Within a few minutes, I got a reply asking for more detail. I provided information on my wife's temperature and on how bad her stomach was. In less than an hour, an email from a doctor at the hospital was patched through Global Rescue telling us to start the Cipro immediately and continue it for three days. We were also told to continue the anti-diarrheal medicine. We might have done more or less the right thing without Global Rescue, but it was comforting to know that we were doing what was recommended by a doctor. My wife's fever broke the next day, and we continued our vacation. Also, on that same trip, I requested and received information from Global Rescue on the effects of Lariam (anti-malarial) on dehydration.

I am anything but a spokeman for this company. Still, I think it is important for world adventure travelers to know how important such insurance can be. Several years earlier, my brother fell out of a tree in the Central African Republic. He broke his back when he hit the ground. The doctors in Nairobi, where he was transported, wanted to operate. He simply did not trust their decision or their ability. An emergency evacuation company was contacted to provide transport back to the US. Upon checking into the hospital in Miami, my brother was told that an operation was not needed. His back was immobilized for two months, and he healed completely without the operation. The cost of the evacuation from Africa to the US was $160,000. The good news is that his medical insurance company paid the full price. This is definitely not normal. My brother should have been stuck with the full bill. Since his accident, my wife and I have maintained an annual membership with Global Rescue. Many other evacuation insurance companies will only pick you up in major cities. Global Rescue provides choppers to get you in from the bush, and then transports you back home. I may be wrong, but I think this company is the only one that provides medical advice that might just keep you from having to be rescued. If you don't mind being operated on in the third world or don't mind paying over $100,000 dollars to get home after an accident, I would ignore this message. This is not insurance that pays for your flights in case of a problem. This is medical and financial survival. I strongly advise getting some type of emergency evacuation insurance from someone, if not this company.