Help. Medical escort needed after accident during holiday.
 

Me and my girlfriend are on a holiday in France (Marseille) and onfortunately we got an car accident and she isn't able to just fly back to the uk. Now I found some companies that provide services to get her back, but I don't really know which to trust. I hope someone could help me out. I thought that AMBU-TRANS would be a good company. I wouild like to hear some feedback fromy you.

Sorry if I posted this in de wrong topic.

Thank you very much.

I cannot advise but your travel insurance company should have. Give them a call.

We don't have a travel insurance...

<i>We don't have a travel insurance...</i>

Yikes.

Good luck.

Why does she need to get back to the UK?
Can she not have medical treatment in France?
Are you from the UK?
Do you have your EHIC card?
What type of injury has she got and why do you need a medical escort?
Why can't she fly on a regular airline with the correct medical clearance?
Was the car accident with a rental car that you rented or was it your private car or was your GF hit by a car as a pedestrian?
If a rental car, did you purchase personal accident insurance?
If yes, does the PAI cover you for repatriation?

How can anyone advise you when you provide so little information?

I think the topic is fine, but it is going to be unlikely that anyone has experience with that particular transport company, unfortunately.

If she is very hurt and home is the UK, whcih isn't that far away, I can understand wanting to go home for treatment due to lots of issues, insurance and support, etc.

If she can't fly, she must be pretty bad off, but you can drive the entire distance and air ambulances cost a fortune, anyway.

I doubt if you'll find anyone who knows that company, but can you ask the hospital iof they have experience with them? They should perhaps be able to help you with recommendations of such companies they have worked with. I think that may be your best bet.

I've thought through the day, Christina is right the local hospital is a good idea, or ring your UK GP for a recommendation, or do you know any UK medical staff, or the local consulate might have a kind momement for you.

Here is the link to the British consulate in Marseille:
https://www.gov.uk/government/world/...late-marseille

There is also an emergency number to call outside of the consular hours.

The only travel insurance I buy is medical evacuation. It is inexpensive, but it takes care of circumstances like this. The company will arrange transport and provide a medical escort. I know it doesn't help you with this situation, but I do highly recommend it for your next trip. We buy it by the year.

For now, I agree that getting her treated where you are is your best course of action.

If a UK national, her normal medical insurance should be good in France. The UK reimburses any EU country. At least that's the case for a friend who lives in France (altho that may change soon as we know).

Christina is right, a call to your UK doctor will be helpful (especially as no language barrier.) Emphasize that you have no insurance.

AFTER talking with the doctor, you could try talking with SNCF (French railways) or better yet, have the local hospital do it. It may be possible for them to organize seating on a regular train to accommodate a stretcher if that is what is required. (I know this is possible on a plane, using an aircraft with four seats across, as we have done it.) I mention this mainly because without insurance, specialized transportation may be prohibitively expensive. What kind of medical escort is necessary - is the hospital suggesting a trained nurse is necessary, or could you perform the role if you are given instructions?

Good luck.

If they have insurance in the UK, they most likely have insurance in France. Whether that includes an expensive evacuation is another issue. But treatment in France may very well be covered.

<i>If they have insurance in the UK, they most likely have insurance in France.</i>.

They might have their EHIC card which takes care of medical needs in the EEA. And it is untrue that the UK reimburses ANY EU country.

"...untrue that the UK reimburses ANY EU country."

I believe you. But it does France apparently, unless it's limited to UK nationals resident in France. Maybe you can clarify that point, Odin.

France requires the EHIC card, just as other EU countries do, to be sure they will be reimbursed. They may or may not continue to treat her under the French healthcare system if she doesn't have a card, or proof of qualifying for NHS treatment at home.
Whilst I can understand it will be difficult for her if she is in hospital in France, away from family and friends and with a possible language problem she really is in the best place right now if she is too ill to travel.
Contact the consulate and see if they can offer advice or help. As her parents or other family members to look into things such as transport in the UK. It will be expensive whether flying or by land. If she can stay in France until well enough to travel over land maybe a family member will be able to collect her?

I hope she will soon be able to travel home.

<i>But it does France apparently, unless it's limited to UK nationals resident in France. Maybe you can clarify that point, Odin</I>

France is ok as you said, but a UK national could not get free treatment in Sweden for instance. It is greatly reduced, but not free, as I found out earlier this year when I had to go to Swedish A&E.

"...reduced, but not free, as I found out earlier this year when I had to go to Swedish A&E."

A rude awakening. But if it had been in the US the shock may have killed you, despite living through the event. It's a shameful state of affairs (forgive my off-topic comment).

Assume op has resolved the situation but if she is in such a shape to require special evacuation the hospital will call the shots and make sure she is stable enough to travel. Until she is they will keep her there..probably have to go with whatever they can organize..I always thought uk citizens had to have insurance to travel but maybe that is not for independent travel. Good lick.

".I always thought uk citizens had to have insurance to travel "

no, we are a free people, allowed to make our own mistakes. The EHIC gives us certain rights within EU and EFTA for medical support, (probably does not include re-patriation). Travel Insurance is extremely cheap in the UK, for instance it is a free give-away to me from my free bank. Package holidays are normally sold subject to travel insurance being in place to avoid picking up the tab.

Re-pat insurance (normally included in travel insurance) is also cheap for Europe visit.

The holder of an EHIC card is entitled to the same treatment at the same rate as the local residents are, not automatically to free treatment. So in the UK treatment is free for everyone. In the Netherlands you would have to pay the first €385 of treatment yourself (or any travel insurance you have has to) except at a GP which is free.
Anything they prescribe falls under the €385 rule though.
It doesn't cover treatment in expensive private hospitals in Spain, only the basic costs a Spanish hospital would charge. It is common for tourists to be taken to a private hospital though.
EHIC doesn't cover special transport home.

Travel insurance is compulsory for some package trips but not otherwise, though is always a good idea. It can be an expensive lesson to learn.

Sorry - but it's not clear exactly what the problem is, what sort of transit she can tolerate and what sort of medical support she needs.

Will it be possible for her to travel on any train or will she need to be evacuated by ambulance. Does she need to have a nurse with her - or an MD?

If it were me I would collect all of the info and contact your MD in the UK who can speak to the French MDs and help you determine what is best to do. If your own MD doesn't have suggestions for transport I would go to the local British consulate and ask them for recommendations. This is one of the reasons they are there - helping their citizens with severe unexpected problems.

Clearly no one here has any experience of telephoning a MD/GP in the UK. In the unlikely event of getting through in under 30 mins, they would not get to speak to a doctor, much less anyone who could provide any advice on what to do.

The British embassy similarly would be unlikely to provide much, if any assistance for someone foolish enough to travel without insurance.

These people are on their own.

If the patient can't convey her wishes, I wonder if a boyfriend, rather than family members, can make any arrangements anyway.

The OP hasn't returned, so perhaps he's found a solution.

"Clearly no one here has any experience of telephoning a MD/GP in the UK. In the unlikely event of getting through in under 30 mins, they would not get to speak to a doctor, much less anyone who could provide any advice on what to do. "

nonsense, i ring mine regulalarly,

BTW, walked in at lunch time two days ago, no appointment and saw a Dr in 5 mins.

Not nonsense at all - actual experience, both mine and of many others in the UK. So you got to see a doctor in 5mins! How convenient, but does that prove exactly? An anomaly in well published NHS statistics maybe.

PS, even if they are lucky enough to speak to someone, it is exceedingly unlikely that anyone at a GP surgery will be able, or willing to provide the information or assistance required.

I would think that this woman's personal physician would have enough interest in his patient to take such an emergency call immediately. And I can't imagine they would not have an opinion (or be able to get one immediately from a specialist if necessary) and be willing to speak to the patient's French doctor.

And as far as I'm aware every embassy or consulate keep lists of local MDs and/or pharmacists able to help their locals if needed - I know this is true of all American embassies. After all,what are they paid for if not to aid citizens stuck in extraordinary circumstances?

c, just change your doctor :-)

nytraveler, you don't understand. In the UK, people do not have personal physicians generally. There is no need for anyone to call their GP in the UK anyway as French healthcare is as good if not better than the UK. UK citizens have an EHIC card which entitles them to free or reduced medical care. You don't know if there are extraordinary circumstances as this was probably not a real situation. If this was a genuine question, then they can use companies like ISOS (international SOS) to get home. The OP is allegedly in Marseille, how many hospitals and medical facilities do you think there are in that area? Why can't they have medical treatment there and come home when they are able to? Not sure where you get the idea that a UK GP can speak to a French doctor and discuss a patient's medical needs.

Calling a GP in the UK will not help, you can almost never been seen same day and they are very unlikely to be of any help in this situation except to advise that they should get to the nearest hospital asap.

It doesn't make any sense to call someone's GP in another country for problems related to a traffic accident, anyway. Why should they, the GP has nothing to do with it and it's not an issue related to primary care. I do have a personal physician, more or less, but I would never in a million years tell some French hospital to call her if I had broken bones from a traffic accident in France, for example. What would be the purpose of that? A primary care doc in some other country is not qualified to advise what to do with a patient they have not seen or examined, who has had trauma or injury from a traffic accident. They would have no business trying to consult on that.

Christina is absolutely right, although it could be useful if there is a need to find out about drug allergies and things like that. However, hospitals are quite used to treating accident victims with absolutely no information about them.

And the consulate's job is to provide information both about medical treatment and repatriation options. Asking a Fodor's forum about such things is probably both foolish and dangerous, which is something that the OP has probably already realised.

Assuming that the injuries are serious enough that the patient has to be accompanied back to the UK one would assume that the patient would immediately either be admitted to hospital or go to their MD's office for continuing care. (I don't know if the OP has a personal physician or not - but she certainly has an MD that she sees on some sort of basis who would oversee her care at home - or coordinate with the hospital if that is what she needs).

No one is saying medical care in France is not excellent. But if the OP is going to be hospitalized for some period of time - or need nursing care at home - she may well prefer that to happen near her home and family rather than in a foreign country.

And I have never heard of a consulate who will not help a citizen find resources in a medical emergency. We don;t know what is wrong but obviously this is more than a sprained ankle which could be treated in any emergency room.

"The OP hasn't returned, so perhaps he's found a solution."

...or this might have just been an attempt to promote AmbuTrans. Seems funny that he "found some companies" but then only asks about one of them.


? ? ?

"BTW, walked in at lunch time two days ago, no appointment and saw a Dr in 5 mins."

Bilbo, don't ever tell where you live as everyone will want to move there :-). I've just waited 4 weeks to see a doctor and I count myself lucky, as it's usually 6 weeks.

<i> or this might have just been an attempt to promote AmbuTrans. </i>

Possibly, but the situation in general is worth discussing anyway.

***********

<i> I would never in a million years tell some French hospital to call [my GP] if I had broken bones from a traffic accident in France, for example. </i>

Christina I think you misunderstood. The suggestion made about contacting the GP was not made with a view to having that GP advise on the primary care you as patient would be receiving from the French physician. The suggestion was solely in the goal of coordinating a possible transfer. A GP has access to a medical file of information that may be relevant when considering such transfer.

And nobody has advised the transfer per se, which of course is beyond anyone here to do.

I hope the OP has resolved everything and they're either home or were able to have their medical emergency taken care of.

I'd like to share my experience with the French healthcare system in Paris. Last December I was visiting Paris (from the US) on my own, around 5 pm I missed a small step in front of Notre Dame Cathedral and fell. A nice couple helped me up and said if I needed to see a doctor there was an emergency center nearby and pointed up the street.

I walked into Hotel-DIeu de Paris, explained my situation, was triaged and sent to X-Ray where it was found I had broken my wrist and crushed bones. Within 2 hours they had surgery set up for 8 am the following morning at Hôpital Cochin. I'm not sure why I was sent there, first they said they'd send me to the American Hospital even going so far as calling and having me speak to someone there but within 20 minutes they said they had changed plans and had made arrangements with Hôpital Cochin, gave me my X-rays and admitting info with the address and even called a taxi that night to take me back to my rental apartment.

The following morning I took a pre-arranged taxi to Hôpital Cochin, had surgery under local anesthesia where they put a plate and 8 screws/pins in my wrist. Surgery was done under a local as I had a flight home scheduled the following day and had they 'knocked me out' I'd have to stay at least one or two nights in hospital.

My experience and care was excellent. I can't express my thanks enough to the healthcare I received and so much more efficient that any I'd have received here at home.

No payment was asked for and once home, I did receive bills from both Hotel-Dieu de Paris and Hôpital Cochin which were paid online. Very efficient and easy to take care of.

Before I arrived home, my husband had set up an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon here, on our first meeting and after looking at my X-rays, he was extremely pleased by what had been done. I did have several follow ups and physical therapy and doing really well.

I'm still amazed at how I was cared for, a person who just walked in off the street. No payment required at that time, just care and concern of my well being. Sorry to go on but I just have so much gratitude for the French health care system.

Would you mind telling us, wunderbar2, how much the bills were? That, too, would be very educational. Thanks for your story.

>>...or this might have just been an attempt to promote AmbuTrans.<<

Bingo.

Would you -- with a desperately ill girlfriend take time to search the interweb thingy, find Fodors, register and ask about a new British evac franchise (whose only testimonials are from the Netherlands) - me neither.

Great report wunderbar. It sounds like you received wonderful care. I had an equally positive experience in the UK -- thankfully my ankle wasn't broken so no surgery -- but just excellent treatment and no payment asked for.

I think Debbie calls it right..blatant free ad for a company that seems to have no budget for promotion?