Medical Evacuation

bubba-one

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Gents,

I am going on a safari in Zambia (Luangwa Valley with one of our subscribers) and trying to decide if we need medical evacuation. I have been to Africa several times and never bothered with it, due to the safe places (Namibia, South Africa) that we went to, but never to Zambia.

What is your recommendation and if "yes" what company would you suggest. Prices vary all over the map and several are offered by top rated insurance companies.

Thanks for your advise,

Good hunting to everybody,

Chris
 
First to you have an AMEX Platinum or Centurion card? If so, you have medical evacuation coverage with those cards. If not, you can shop around. I bought Global Rescue on my last trip for the security coverage as elections were occurring during my trip and riots were allegedly to occur. It turned out Zambia was quite, but Jo'berg was rioting. Go figure.
 
I bought it to be able to get my butt out of the deep dark places to where I wanted to be in the case of bad stuff happening.
Like all insurance I have not needed it, thankfully.

I don't trust credit cards as far as I can throw them. This may be different in your country. Read the fine print. All of it.

  • I did Medjet assist on the first go around. Evac insurance. You had to get to the hospital yourself. Easy enough in RSA.
  • Travel insurance was useless at telling me where to go when I got TBF. I had to figure it out and then it was finally the farmer who told me about his Dr. I drove myself in for treatment. Being sick figuring this stuff out SUCKED!
  • Next time it was Global Rescue. They would come and get you at the nearest evac point and consult and fly you home. Not the closest place they liked, my choice, my home.
  • There is another new kid on the block. I can't remember their name.

What are you hunting? Is there any potential for you getting seriously hurt? ie. DG
How is your general medical condition?
Zambia is a big country. If I were hunting 12 hours up a crap dirt road I think I would want evac insurance.

That's just me.

Not a shill for GR. The biggest sale point for me was the fact they would come and get my wounded/sick ass from the middle of nowhere. (Check all current details)
 
Thank you gentlemen! I am hunting buf and there is always a chance of getting hurt. We are about 4-4.5 hours from Lussaka.
My medical condition is good, but *** happens.
 
Any where in Africa, eastern Europe and the Middle East. If I am the one paying, it will be Global Rescue. You only have to need it once for it to pay for itself 20 times over or more. Credit cards can pay for something, but I would not trust them to send medical or evac personnel to me 8000 miles away.
 
Ask someone in the aviation business the cost of medivac in a private jet back to the states from ANYWHERE. I wouldn't go on a hunt that was in the boonies in the U.S. either without Global Rescue. YMMV.
 
It's good insurance and peace of mind.

I've used Global Rescue in the past and will so again in the future. This is one thing I want to use a name brand on. Maybe there is a difference and maybe not, but it makes me feel better.
 
I have Global Rescue due to hunting in places like Kyrgyzstan and Zimbabwe. Any DG hunting in remote areas and I would recommend this insurance. If I had been the one bitten by the leopard a month ago I would have been calling GR on my sat phone immediately! Thankful it wasn't me and all worked out but just have one tradegy and then you'd probably like the peace of mind of a policy like this.
Philip
 
Any where in Africa, eastern Europe and the Middle East. If I am the one paying, it will be Global Rescue. You only have to need it once for it to pay for itself 20 times over or more. Credit cards can pay for something, but I would not trust them to send medical or evac personnel to me 8000 miles away.

+1
 
I think the AMEX card is Medjet assist. The new one is Rip Cord, they are marketing very aggressively and have taken away a lot of Global Rescue referral programs and I presume business too.
 
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Travelguard was ours last trip to Namibia..About $500 for two for two weeks..Recomended by our travel agent..Too old to go without ...
 
If going to Zambia I would use Global Rescue!
 
Ask someone in the aviation business the cost of medivac in a private jet back to the states from ANYWHERE. I wouldn't go on a hunt that was in the boonies in the U.S. either without Global Rescue. YMMV.

8 years ago we had to fork out $18,000.00 for an air ambulance to fly someone from lusaka to joburg..... @bubba-one you workout if a few hundred dollars with global rescue is worth it or not......
 
and that's just to Joburg. :E Horrified:
 
and that's just to Joburg. :E Horrified:

Depending on your condition, RSA to the U.S. you're looking at $200,000 plus. From four years ago:

Travelex Travel Insurance recently released information about the average costs of a medical evacuation. According to their statistics, the average medical evacuation within North America costs $25,000. From Europe, the cost can reach $50,000 .Jun 21, 2013

A stateside event:
The cost of an air ambulance bill is split into two main parts, according to a study completed by the Montana Legislature. First, a liftoff fee, which ranges from $8,500 to $15,200 in Montana, plus a per-mile charge for the flight, which ranges from $26 to $133 a mile.Jan 18, 2016


In my opinion, not buying the insurance, whatever vendor one chooses, is a fool's game. Then again, I hear health care and hospitals in sub Saharan Africa are top notch. :rolleyes:
 
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I don't leave home without it, I use travel guard in the US and Global Rescue elsewhere. Cheap peace of mind for sure and I think it gives the outfitters a little also.
 
We use Global Rescue both when we are out of country hunting and when we have guys working in the Islands.
 
Thank you gents for all your good suggestions! It seems that Global Rescue is the favorite and I will contact them concerning their services.

Always nice to get valuable feedback from members!
 
I have used Ripcord on my trips out of the country, except to Haiti. I always get medical evacuation coverage, because it is very difficult to predict a heart attack. I skipped civil unrest evacuation in New Zealand and Spain, but got it for Zambia. Can't evaluate because I was fortunate. I did have peace of mind. Ripcord was recommended by my first and best outfitter.
 
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