Kenya top hot spot for medical evacuation

More people are evacuated from Kenya for medical reasons than anywhere else in the world, according to data from leading expatriate health insurer Bupa International, which handles over 1,000 calls a month to its 24-hour worldwide medical assistance helpline.

African countries dominate the global ‘evac map', with Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Angola making up six of the top ten countries for medical evacuation. In fact, half of all the evacuations undertaken by Bupa International every year originate in Africa, with South Africa remaining the leading country to be evacuated to.

After Kenya, Russia is the second most common country for evacuation, while Indonesia takes the third spot and China is joint fourth with Nigeria and Uganda.

Bupa International's medical evacuation data shows that heart disease is the main cause of people being airlifted or driven overland to receive medical treatment. Cancer is ranked second, while orthopaedic conditions such as back and neck problems take third place.

Dr Sneh Khemka, Bupa International's medical director, said: "For many countries in Africa, medical evacuation cover is a ‘must have'. We often do not feel that the local medical facilities are adequate to deal with the patient safely, or the services required are simply not available. If you need an air or road ambulance urgently, medical evacuation cover provides peace of mind, taking away financial worries at what would already be a very difficult time for you and your family. With a full air ambulance evacuation costing in excess of £50,000, being caught out can be very costly.

"It is vital that people living and working overseas remember that not every insurance policy is the same. We know that our customers rely on us to have an in-depth understanding of the health facilities in every country in the world, so we can guide them appropriately when they need us through our 24 hour multilingual helpline. Our emergency medical team of highly-trained doctors, who are experts in high altitude diseases, tropical infections, patient evacuations and home transportations are also available around the clock, ensuring that if the need arises, our customers receive the best treatment without delay."