Medical flight – Air Ambulance

Before a trip, you can take out a repatriation insurance policy. This ensures that, in the event of a serious health problem (accident, illness, injury, etc.), the patient is taken care of and repatriated to his or her home or to a hospital suited to his or her state of health. Before departure, it is advisable to find out about the state of health in the destination country, and to check the cost of medical expenses, which can be particularly high in some parts of the world (e.g. Canada, USA, Japan). Taking out an insurance policy can make repatriation easier.

Is repatriation insurance useful if an individual dies abroad as a result of an accident? Yes, the contract generally provides for special logistical services such as coffining and repatriation of the body.

In cases of extreme urgency, and for patients who have no resources of their own, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs can provide financial assistance for medical repatriation from abroad. Depending on the request and the funds available, the French government may pay for the repatriation of a French national on a “free” basis. The patient’s medical file is then reviewed by the Consulate and the local doctor to determine whether or not repatriation is necessary.

When a trip has been paid for with a Visa card, medical repatriation is automatically taken into account. Various family members are covered: the cardholder, spouse or partner, children and grandchildren under 25. Check the contract signed with your bank when you obtained your Visa card to find out up to what limit the patient can be reimbursed.

• Abroad: depending on the patient’s country of origin, Social Security may cover part of the medical expenses incurred during repatriation. If necessary, the patient’s mutual insurance company may take over. It is advisable to contact these organizations directly before leaving on your trip.
• In France: medical transport in France may be reimbursed up to 65% of the total cost by the local health insurance fund. Pregnant women over 6 months, newborns requiring hospitalization, chronically ill patients, victims of industrial accidents and certain pensioners may be reimbursed at 100%. There are different modes of medical transport, but reimbursement is based on the least expensive means of transport. For example, if you travel by air, Social Security will cover 65% of the cost of an economy-class ticket.

Please note that if the repatriated person does not fall into any of the above categories, it is up to him or her to cover the cost of transport and repatriation. If they are accompanied, it is also up to them to ensure the repatriation of their family members.

The air ambulance offers many advantages for patients:

• Your flight is fast and comfortable

A medical flight is carried out in a private jet such as a Falcon 8X or Falcon 900 (from aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation), particularly for evacuations from the French West Indies to France. These modern aircraft are equipped with cutting-edge technology for a fast, quiet and calm flight.

• The flexibility offered by business aviation

Medical aviation adapts to patient needs and vital urgency. There’s no need to wait in an airport terminal. Take-off times are flexible, and the plane can be chartered in less than 2 hours. You then fly direct to your final destination without a stopover.

• Extended access to airports and airfields

Many airliners cannot land at all airports. Thanks to medical aviation, patients and medical teams can travel to over 3,000 destinations. For example, the Pilatus PC-12 turboprop is widely used in remote areas for medical evacuations (EVASAN). It enables you to take off and land at provincial airfields with short runways, as close as possible to your medical facility.

•  An ultra-safe flight in a medical aircraft

In the event of a life-threatening situation, there are a number of solutions and adjustments that can be made to ensure that the journey goes smoothly. First of all, cabin pressurization can be adjusted to the same level as on the ground. What’s more, with a medicalized flight, you’re accompanied by a team of doctors and nurses dedicated to stabilizing the patient’s state of health. Finally, in the event of complications during flight hours, the aircraft can make an emergency landing at the nearest airport.

Whether turbo-propelled or jet-powered, a medical aircraft offers both comfort and safety for patients requiring medical repatriation or evacuation.

• Turboprop aircraft

It is slower than the jet ambulance, which has a jet engine. Nevertheless, the price of a flight is more attractive. It can also land on short runways at small regional airports, which a jet cannot do. Finally, for long distances or flights over the sea, the jet ambulance is the preferred choice.

• Jet ambulance

Ideal for emergency medical flights requiring repatriation over long distances, such as intercontinental flights, as it is extremely fast (Boeing 787-8, for example).

Medical flights by airliner are the most economical solution, but do not offer any of the services offered by medical aircraft.

• Your flight will be in 2nd class on a stretcher or in business class in a sleeper seat.
• The medical care offered is less extensive. You have the possibility of being accompanied by a medical team, but no intervention or intensive care equipment can be brought on board.
• You are dependent on the air traffic schedules and airports offered by conventional airlines. And for long-haul flights, there are usually stopovers, which can be very stressful for the patient.
• The cabin pressure of a commercial flight cannot be optimized. Depending on the type of trauma, too great a discrepancy with the pressure on the ground can cause pain and sometimes complications.

A medical repatriation is a transport of a patient suffering from health problems, repatriated to their country or city of origin. Repatriation is carried out to offer better quality care or better monitoring to the patient’s place of residence.

Generally used in the military field, but also in the air force, the term “medical evacuation” is also used in civil aviation to designate the medical evacuation of an injured or sick person in order to provide appropriate care. MEDEVAC is emergency transport. The evacuation is linked to a war, a pandemic, or the impossibility of providing the necessary care. A medical aircraft is then chartered to leave the dangerous zone via the air network and reach the nearest appropriate medical facility.

Medical transport is the transfer of an injured or sick person between a point A and B of your choice. The aim is to move a patient to another healthcare facility of your choice. From London to Bordeaux, from Milan to Zurich, we can meet all your needs, whatever country you’re in, or where you’d like to be hospitalized.

If you want to leave your home country for a medical operation abroad, choose medical tourism. Many patients choose to be hospitalized in a foreign country for a variety of reasons: lower costs, quality of care on offer, medical capabilities and authorizations. For example, many French people choose countries such as Switzerland, Austria or Israel for cosmetic surgery, dental surgery or infertility treatment. With medical air travel, you can enjoy a flight in optimum comfort.

A young child or even a newborn who has had an accident while on vacation will not always be able to benefit from the appropriate care in all establishments. Carrying out an EVASAN or RAPASAN can be decisive for your child’s health. Babies, in particular, have fragile bodies, so transporting them is a delicate task. We can provide you with a medical team specialized in infant medicine. In the event of premature delivery in an unsuitable hospital, you can request medical transport in which an incubator will be installed to keep your child healthy during the transfer. Our equipment is state-of-the-art, so you can be sure of a worry-free journey.

The repatriation of a body or funeral urn involves a lot of logistics and authorizations. In this sad situation, our experts are on hand 24/7 to take care of all the formalities involved in transporting the body by medical aircraft.

You can consult our articles on repatriating a body to Algeria or Morocco if required.

The transportation of organs is a very delicate business, with important issues of speed, hygiene and preservation. Our team can provide you with turboprops and helicopters capable of landing as close as possible to the medical facility.