What is medical repatriation?

Medical Repatriation is the term used for the return of injured or ill patients to their home countries under medical supervision. People who fall ill while traveling abroad often wish (or require) to be sent back to their home country on medical transport planes or may have a medical flight escort on a commercial flight.

What is the cost of medical repatriation?

The costs of medical transport highly depend on how ill patients are, their location, destination and means of medical repatriation. Therefore the cost of medical repatriation varies. The most cost effective way of medical repatriation is on a scheduled flight. If the patient is not able to fly on a schedule airline flight, then usually the patient travels back on a private air ambulance medical flight. This significantly increases the overall cost of medical repatriation. The cost of medical flight on a private aircraft depends on the type of air ambulance aircraft, the number of medical staff required and the journey's length. As an example, the cost of medical flight from Dubai to UK starts from around £37,500.00.

In order to obtain a quotation for a specific journey, please contact us here or request a call back here.

Does the European Medical Card (EHIC) cover medical repatriation costs?

No. The EHIC card (formerly E111 card) provides good basic cover for emergency medical and hospital treatment but it will not cover the cost of the air ambulance repatriation.

Does my travel insurance cover medical repatriation?

Typically, medical repatriation falls within the cover of travel insurance although it is extremely important to read the small print and get all the information from the insurer before taking out a travel insurance to make sure medical repatriation with appropriate level of cover is included. The level of cover on medical repatriation varies between insurers and even between different kinds of policies with the same provider so it is vital to read the policy wording carefully.

Which travel insurance is the best?

Jet Medical Flights Ltd do not provide information which travel insurance to get. We would only suggest always reading the small print to make sure that the medical treatment costs and medical repatriation costs are covered. Standard limits for medical repatriation cover is usually around £5million but in some cases cover could be up to £10million.

We recommended that, when you are shopping around for your travel insurance medical repatriation cover, limits should be at least £1million.

It is also useful to check who will be repatriated – some insurance providers only take the ill person, others will also offer to take all of your dependents. This can put patient's mind at rest knowing that everybody is travelling together during this stressful time.

What should my travel insurance cover?

The scope of cover varies greatly from one travel insurance provider to another. The important points to cover would be:
	Costs of medical treatment incurred,
	Costs of transportation to the closest medical facility if the necessary treatment is not possible where they are – these can be by land ambulance, helicopter or plane, depending on requirements,
	Medical repatriation back to home country of the insured and dependents,
	Evacuation of the insured person and dependents only in the event of emergency,
	Mortal remains repatriation (also known as deceased repatriation) in the event of death. This should include the necessary embalming, appropriate container for the travel, shipping costs and the required government autorisations/permits.

Please note this list is not exhaustive and it should be used only as a very general guide only.

Do you organise land ambulance transfers only in the UK?

No, at Jet Medical Flights we specialise in arranging worldwide land ambulance transfers. We have an extensive worldwide network of ground ambulance partners so we are able to organise land ambulances around the Globe.

What is on board of the land ambulances?

All ground ambulances that Jet Medical Flights provide have all the required equipment to transport  the patient (varying from basic equipment to advanced/intensive care in order to transfer critically ill patients). There will always be a medical escort travelling with the patient (qualification of the escort will vary as it depends on patient's medical condition).

Can a companion travel with the patient during land ambulance journey?

Every land ambulance journey is different as patient's condition does vary from case to case. Depending on the medical level of care required and medical personnel travelling, at Jet Medical Flights we always try to accommodate at least one companion during the land ambulance transfer. There is also some space for the luggage. It has to be noted though that each case is different and assessment is made based on the condition of the patient and information provided.

Will I have to pay for the land ambulance transfer or will the NHS pay for it?

Jet Medical Flights only arranges private ground ambulance transfers and these are not covered by the NHS therefore you will have to pay for this service.

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