Africa’s Renowned AMREF Flying Doctors are now our Assistance Partner in Kenya and surrounding countries

Paris, France, 1 February 2024  – We are delighted to welcome AMREF to Assistance Partner status within the International Assistance Group.

Having been an Accredited Service Provider within the group since January 2015 for air ambulance services, they now provide the full range of assistance services that meet the selection criteria for our Assistance Partner status.

From their base in Kenya, their Assistance Partner status for all inbound travel will also cover Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. They are also able to assist in the Central African Republic and Djibouti when possible.

Having served so many IAG Partners over a long period of time with our air ambulance services, we are extremely pleased that we can now formally offer a wider range of medical assistance services over such a large area’, stated Jane Munyua, AMREF Flying Doctors’ Medical Assistance Manager.

Renowned for its air ambulance capabilities for over 66 years, AMREF’s in-depth and on-the-ground experience will now provide partners of the International Assistance Group with additional services such as the

  • guarantee of hospital payments and related costs
  • follow up on medical reports
  • arrangement of flight tickets and hotel accommodation for patients and their next of kin
  • ground transfers by taxi
  • help with lost or stolen documentation and luggage
  • emergency cash advances
  • repatriation of mortal remains and funeral assistance
  • house calls for bedside assessments
  • medicine dispatch
  • homecare assistance

In addition, they also provide medical escorts on commercial flights within the African region and to the rest of the world.

AMREF Flying Doctors is a commercial entity that supports the more significant work of Amref Health Africa, a non-governmental health organisation employing over 1500 people within 100 projects in poor or marginalised populations throughout Eastern Africa.

With the future development of healthcare professionals and managers critical to the region, Amref Health Africa has established its own International University offering Certificate and Diploma Courses and undergraduate and Postgraduate degree courses.

Twice winners of the prestigious ITIJ Air Ambulance Provider of the Year Award, AMREF Flying Doctors is accredited by EURAMI for Long-range / Intercontinental Fixed Wing Air Ambulance, Regional Fixed Wing Air Ambulance and Commercial Airline Medical Escort. This includes Medical Endorsement as an adult critical care provider.

Universal Assistance strengthens commitment to the International Assistance Group

Paris, France, 22 January 2024 – Our Correspondent in 10 Latin American countries has successfully applied to become our Core Partner Branch in Uruguay, which we are delighted to announce.

 

Well-known and valued by many partners, Universal Assistance joined our network in 2010.

Becoming a Core Partner Branch is a welcomed commitment. It will allow access to our unique Globus database, global network and operational tools, facilitating the transmission of outbound cases to our IAG Partners.

 

A leading player in assistance and travel insurance in Latin American markets, this has been achieved through digital innovation and a dynamic strategy in multi-channel marketing. Apps have been developed for mobile medical self-assessment, a virtual assistant for travellers pre-travel, during and after travel, and a VIP offer, including lounge access if flights are delayed. Online services include telehealth and claims management.

 

Since 2018, Universal Assistance has been part of CoverMore, the global Zurich Insurance Group’s assistance and travel insurance brand.

 

Universal Assistance underwent the IAG’s ISO 9001 vetting process and expert peer review, ensuring that high standards are met at this critical membership level. They will remain our valued correspondents in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru.

Advancing the commercial airline benefits. Air Stretcher was appointed as an accredited service provider

Paris, France, 21 December 2023 – Arranging medical stretchers on commercial airlines often poses numerous challenges. Therefore, we are delighted to announce that Air Stretcher has been appointed as an Accredited Service Provider to provide additional expertise and resources.

With over 17 years of experience arranging medical stretchers from the Caribbean and surrounding area to Europe and further afield, Air Stretcher’s founding company, International West Indies Assistance (IWIA), undertook extensive international research to set up a dedicated global unit in 2022 operating from Paris, France.

‘Our service is unique in the assistance market’, stated Diane Heckel, Air Stretcher’s Founder and General Manager. She added: ‘We go beyond the airline booking transaction with in-depth knowledge of the medical process and the ability to provide clinical teams to support transportation globally.’

‘Costs are under constant scrutiny by insurance companies and corporations, ‘ stated Louise Heywood, IAG’s General Manager. ‘The appointment of Air Stretcher aims to support those partners looking to push the total, or partial, commercial airline option further up their scale of consideration with a flexible menu of solutions.’

Using an assistance mindset, Air Stretcher also works with major airlines who are able to take stretchered patients to facilitate clearance, as well as with approved local air ambulance providers and assistance companies to deliver multiple-leg solutions, increasing the potential reach of a mission.

Since its foundation in 2022, Air Stretcher has built enhanced relationships with airline medical contact points. Air Stretcher is able to book a whole stretcher file (on Air France for example) in 24 to 48 hours, with oxygen, provided patient’s medical necessary information has been communicated.

Air Stretcher’s appointment as an IAG Accredited Service Provider came after a vetting process compliant with ISO 9001.

Acclaimed Athens Medical Group joins our select list of Accredited Service Provider hospitals

Paris, France, 7 November 2024 – We are delighted to announce that Athens Medical Group (AMG) has joined our alliance as an Accredited Service Provider.

‘While we hold extensive information on thousands of hospitals across the globe, it is a special step for a medical facility to go through our ISO 9001 vetting process and become an Accredited Service Provider,’ stated Louise Heywood, International Assistance Group General Manager. She added: ‘Accredited Service Providers benefit from our knowledge-sharing activities, gaining a more global insight into the needs of the traveling and expatriate communities.’ 

AMG’s reputation is endorsed with numerous certifications and acknowledgments for their ability to provide an international standard of advanced medical care in Greece, also attracting a great number of international patients, mainly in the European Interbalkan Medical Center (EIMC) in Thessaloniki, the spearhead of the outward-looking strategy of AMG.

To support its expansion in the medical tourism field and to improve the international patient experience and journey, AMG created the International Patient Center in 2013.

This center offers 24/7 a wide range of services to international patients throughout all stages of their care, with the valuable assistance of its dedicated personnel. 

These services extend beyond clinical aspects, to translation and to door-to-door concierge services for travel, accommodation, and transportation. 

To further support any medical needs of international patients around the clock, AMG offers 24/7 emergency services, supported by a fleet of ambulances and authorized contact persons.

One contact, 130 languages. Lexxika becomes an Accredited Service Provider to the International  Assistance Group

Paris, France, 25 October 2023 – We are delighted that specialist assistance industry translation service Lexxika has joined our growing list of Accredited Service Providers.

After identifying the need for speed, availability and keen pricing, Lexxika established a specialist 24/7 solution for the assistance and insurance industries in 2017 after ten years of generalist experience.

Lexxika’s approach has secured some significant brands in both assistance and insurance.

‘The assistance world is dynamic, urgent and demands that a translation service is adaptable to challenges such as handwritten documents and medical scans, as well as formal documents’, said James Austin. Lexxika’s Commercial Director. He added: ‘Joining the International Assistance Group is a tremendous opportunity for Lexxika to support a diverse range of independent assistance partners across the globe with such needs.’

With official documentation, certified translations can be produced for medical reports, death and repatriation papers and marriage certificates. Such expertise extends to insurance policies and marketing materials, demonstrating Lexxika’s technical ability.

“We are delighted to have Lexxika join our organisation as the only translation and interpreter service adding to the variety of accredited service providers available for our partners to access in the knowledge they have passed a stringent selection process” said Louise Heywood, General Manager.

The selection process used by the International Assistance Group is accredited by ISO 9001.

In addition to their core business in assistance, Lexxika has established an insurance fraud unit to provide multi-lingual support for investigations, interviews, and research at this more technical level.

Goral Assistance Canada adds an important layer to the International Assistance Group’s medical response

Paris, France, 29 August 2023 -We are pleased to announce that Goral Assistance Canada will become an Accredited Service Provider for telemedicine and medical house call visits in Canada.

With the limited availability of family doctors for visitors to Canada, dealing with sickness or minor injury often means resorting to the Emergency Room of a public hospital. There, stretched resources common in many public healthcare systems result in long waiting times, particularly for non-urgent cases. Furthermore, unnecessary costs.

Goral Assistance Canada provides a telemedicine contact centre from 8am to 11pm local time backed by a network of licensed Nurse Practitioners able to deal with all types of acute and chronic illnesses and legally prescribe medication. Where referral is needed to an Emergency Room, this is done with a medical report to help initial assessment.

‘Since the pandemic, we have seen a big increase in demand for telemedicine services and now the benefits this can extend to travellers through emergency medical assistance so I am delighted to add Goral Assistance Canada with their expertise and extensive network throughout Canada to add further depth to our expanding network’, stated Louise Heywood, International Assistance Group General Manager.

‘Joining the International Assistance Group marks an important step to us as Canada’s largest provider of this kind, ’ explained Marcel Kadoche, Goral’s Chief Executive. He added: ‘ We are very much looking forward to helping the diverse range of travellers coming through such an established alliance.’

World-renowned Jackson Health System International widens international collaboration through the International Assistance Group

Paris, France, 19 June, 2023 – We are thrilled to announce that Miami-based Jackson Health System International has joined our alliance as an Accredited Service Provider.

As one of the US’s most significant medical training facilities with a strong record of pioneering treatment in several areas, Jackson Health System’s excellent reputation extends to quality care for patients nationally, international visitors and those travelling for specialist treatment.

‘The International Assistance Group continues to attract high-quality facilities, partners and providers to our alliance,’ stated Louise Heywood, International Assistance Group’s General Manager, adding: ‘We look forward to their collaboration alongside medical teams and partners from across the globe.’

“Jackson Health System’s long-term collaboration with international doctors, hospitals, governments and insurance and assistance companies highlights our commitment to providing expert treatment and care for patients from across the globe” said Diamela Corrales, Director International Business. “We look forward to partnering with the International Assistance Group to continue refining the patient experience”.

A recognised centre of excellence for transplants, trauma, cardiac conditions, neurology and neurosurgery, Jackson’s history goes back over 100 years. Today, it has more than 1,550 licensed beds and over 660 doctors engaged in clinical practice, making it a major tertiary hospital system in Florida and an international referral point.

As part of the not-for-profit Jackson Health System, local citizens are actively involved in shaping how care is delivered locally, irrespective of the ability to pay. In 2021, Jackson Health System spent almost US$183 million on Charity Care.

Travel Support Europe extends to the Nordic region as International Assistance Group’s Assistance Partner

Paris, France, 7th June 2023 – Congratulations to Travel Support Europe on becoming our Assistance Partner for both medical and roadside assistance across the Nordic Region. 

From their 24/7 alarm centre in Sweden, they will cover Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Sweden. Their comprehensive network will provide the full range of medical assistance services, roadside assistance, and onward mobility solutions, giving one point of contact for our partners in such a vast area. In Finland, Travel Support Europe’s appointment will only be for roadside assistance and onward mobility solutions.

We are delighted that Travel Support Europe will also continue as our Accredited Service Provider for doctor house call visits in the Benelux countries, operating from their offices in the Netherlands.

‘Once again, we have undertaken the International Assistance Group’s rigorous vetting process demonstrating that Travel Support Europe has a solid operational network to meet the international demands of the alliance’s partners, ’ stated Travel Support Europe’s Chief Executive Officer, Cecilia Ryttergaard. She added: ‘ Our focus is not only on capability but also on quality to ensure that we are highly regarded within the IAG.’

Founded in 2009, Travel Support Europe’s clients include renowned global insurance and assistance brands with demanding standards and a high level of compliance in service delivery. Their full range of services includes:

Medical assistance

  • General practitioners, including house call visits and telemedicine
  • Medical specialists
  • Dentists
  • Ground ambulances
  • Air ambulances
  • Repatriation of mortal remains

Vehicle assistance

  • Roadside assistance
  • Bicycle assistance
  • Towing and salvage
  • Vehicle transportation
  • Repair shops and garages
  • Hotels, car rental, taxis and much more

New Assistance Partner to cover Senegal: Dakar Assistance

Paris, France, 30th May 2023 – With a reputation established in serving expatriates and travellers, we welcome Dakar Assistance as an Assistance Partner to the International Assistance Group.

In a Country where conditions and standards are variable, Dakar Assistance’s network of hospitals, clinics and ground ambulance services will provide the best possible resource for medical assistance. Additionally, telephone-based medical consultations will offer an essential layer of support to those seeking more immediate advice or faced with a challenging situation.

“Having passed our ISO 9001 accredited vetting process, Dakar Assistance has demonstrated that they have the expertise and capability to join our alliance,” commented Louise Heywood, the International Assistance Group’s General Manager. She added: “Independent assistance companies form the backbone of how we can deliver effective local quality.”

Formed in 2018, Dakar Assistance navigated the challenges of COVID, looking after the needs of large insurance companies and multi-national corporates. Among them, UNICEF and the Italian hydrocarbon capture innovators PARESA.

Inbound travel to Senegal doubled in the ten years before COVID. Recognised by the World Bank as one of Africa’s safest countries, internationally backed initiatives hope to re-grow the economy and support the return to increased inbound travellers. Adding Dakar Assistance to our growing global network ensures we are ready to help that rebound.

CareFlight to join the International Assistance Group

Paris, France, 17th March – We are delighted to be welcoming CareFlight as an Accredited Service Provider in the Asia Pacific Region.

Since 1990, CareFlight has provided specialist medical teams and aircraft to transfer critically ill and injured patients throughout Australia, Asia and the Pacific. We can also be activated as the second leg of a mission for patients initially retrieved by one of our rescue helicopters or retrieval planes, or in partnership with other jet suppliers that we work closely with for longer range retrieval missions from Europe, Asia and the Americas

CareFlight is the only medical retrieval organisation in Australasia that owns and operates its own fleet of dedicated jets, turbo prop aircraft and helicopters, providing a national and international integrated air ambulance service. Our specialist clinical teams are all highly skilled and are trained to work together to provide the best clinical care for patients. Our doctors work at leading teaching hospitals and are specialists in critical care, namely emergency medicine, intensive care or anaesthetics. Our nurses are from intensive care and emergency departments and are aviation nursing trained.

Find out more about CareFlight’s operations at  http://www.careflight.org/