We handle emergency medical evacuations with the highest degree of urgency. We’re very aware of the expectation of our members and their families for instant (or ‘within the hour’ evacuations). However, this is neither medically possible nor safe for any insurance provider with customers in Africa, for legitimate reasons. Below, you’ll find an overview of our process. Step 1. Our medevac team must undertake a clinical assessment of the member on the ground, and—where necessary—arrange for immediate life-saving medical interventions and care. The aim here is to safeguard the member’s well-being (and sometimes life), while we organise the logistics of the medevac. Step 2. The medevac team must determine the most clinically appropriate centre of excellence to which we will evacuate the member. We’ll consider: The availability of relevant specialists The medical capabilities of the receiving hospital Whether the hospital has intensive care units In short, we must undertake a full clinical assessment prior to medevac to ensure the best clinical outcomes for the member. Step 3. Once we’ve established a suitable receiving hospital, we must work through several logistical issues, including: Securing visas for the member (this depends on the member’s nationality and the destination country) Alerting the receiving hospital and their clinical teams, so the right people are on standby to receive the member Arranging ground transportation both to the departure airfield and from the destination airfield to the receiving hospital Issuing ‘fit to fly certificates’, without which no patient can be evacuated by airplane — These steps forms part of a rigorous process that aims to both safeguard the member’s life and to evacuate the member as quickly as logistically possible to the most appropriate centre of excellence.