While I was traveling in Afghanistan, I witnessed the most horrific medical emergency when a young Frenchwoman suddenly suffered from an appendicitis attack. Unfortunately, she was on a stranded bus in the middle of an empty desert when she experienced pain attacks. More Americans love going to places where there is a huge possibility for them to experience life threatening illnesses or accidents and worse, adequate medical care is limited or none at all.
In the middle of nowhere, the bus full of Afghans suddenly broke down just a couple of hours out of Kandahar. The woman’s friend, an obvious fellow westerner approached me out of bewilderment and she definitely was worried. She showed me the Frenchwoman stretched out in the back seat who was suffering from a stomach pain. There was nothing much we could do except to apply a wet handkerchief to her friend’s forehead to temper the day’s searing heat.
An hour passed, and maybe another, and a few passengers hitched rides on one of the rare passing trucks but none was going anywhere near Kabul. The Frenchwoman sobbed in pain and fortunately, I was able to flag down a sturdy European sedan. A young Swiss couple was inside who immediately agreed to take the two French travelers to Kabul. A long while later, another bus finally came rumbling along and I and the remaining Afghan passengers caught it. The next day, the Frenchwoman’s friend thanked me in my hotel. In Kabul, she and the Swiss had contacted the French Embassy, which directed them to a hospital where her friend underwent an immediate appendectomy. The friend was fine, but chastened by the close call.
In 60 countries, the Maryland based association for safe international road travel ensures its travelers safety measures to observe whenever faced with perilous road situations. It depends on which country it is reporting about bizarre driving practices, accident prone roads, dangers of driving at night or livestock on the road. Safety standards are insufficient which makes cars and buses rental riskier.
The incident that took place in Turkey where a 25 year old Bethesda medical student was killed made it possible for the association to be found. Cited by a non-profit organization, Egypt, Kenya, South Korea, Turkey and Morocco are the countries which have the highest dangerous roads based on statistics. The list might cover India as well but the country doesn’t give out statistics. Due to the association’s persistency, the US State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs now includes road hazard information to the consular info sheets it prepares for each country. Carrying an adequate health insurance and buying a medical evacuation policy should be taken seriously. Payment is on you if ever you get ill or injured but in looking for a medical care, the US Embassy could take care of it. Thousands of dollars could be the cost in transporting you to an emergency hospital from a remote area via air. You first have to know what kind of medical service does your health insurance cover before going abroad according to the State Department and you also have to carry an insurance policy identity card as a proof that you’re an insurance holder.
A Medicare supplement plan is provided by the American Association of Retired Persons but this plan cannot be given by the Social Security Medicare if a senior citizen’s treatment is done outside the country. A few firms sell medical evacuation insurance which can be bought on an annual or per trip basis. The company directly sells insurance although you could also purchase from travel agents.
If the worst happens, call the nearest US Embassy. At the very least, the embassy can provide a list of local doctors or other medical facilities. But most likely, embassy personnel make it a point that Americans get the best medical care by taking steps. This happens mostly in remote places where most Americans visit. Officials are capable of visiting victims in a foreign hospital, may transport victims to a better facility, and may contact the victim’s relatives or friends.
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