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MEDEX Global Group, a travel assistance and medical and securityevacuation company, has noticed a significant uptick in the problems thatstudents are facing when they travel abroad. MEDEX reports a 53% increase inthe number of countries where 18 to 23-year olds have required emergencyassistance when comparing the first half of this year to just two years ago(from 49 to 75 countries). Approximately one in five medical cases requiredinpatient treatment versus outpatient care, according to MEDEX data fromJanuary through June of 2008. Many of these cases occurred in countries wherewell-trained medical staff is scarce and local standards for cleanliness arequestionable. In other locations, foreigners are often targeted by criminalsand security issues may arise amidst volatile political landscapes.
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A recent report from the Institute of International Education found thatmore than 223,000 Americans are currently studying abroad -- a record numberthat educators expect to see double by the end of the decade. They are alsonoticing that study abroad programs in China, Africa, and the Middle East arebecoming increasingly popular. While these destinations are rich in culturalopportunity, they can present a number of challenges in the event of a medicalor security emergency. According to MEDEX's Global Group Director of ClientRelations, David Mair, many scholastic administrators have to look for moresophisticated preparation strategies and more elaborate comprehensive medicaland security programs for their students.
MEDEX Global Group, which provides medical and security services to manyof the nation's top schools and universities, recommends that parents andstudents look for the following components in a study abroad program andinsurance package:
-- Destination intelligence services that will provide students with thelatest information and guidance about health considerations, personal securityconcerns, and social or political instability.
-- A list of pre-screened hospitals and other medical providers verifiedto have quality diagnostic and treatment options meeting internationalstandards for care.
-- Multilingual, 24/7 travel assistance services that can help studentswhen they experience any travel, medical or security emergency.
-- Evacuation coverage, up to $100,000 or more, for emergency medical,security and political evacuations. Also look for the bedside companionbenefit that pays for a family member to join a loved one who is hospitalizedand alone.
-- Medical insurance that will provide coverage for internationalemergencies and even routine medical care performed outside of the U.S.Examine the fine print to make sure that there are no exclusions related todrugs, alcohol and suicide -- these exclusions may exist in programs that arenot specifically designed for students.
"Nobody plans to break a bone or to spend their semester in the middle ofa war zone -- but it can happen. Just ask the student who fell off of theGreat Wall of China, or those who were caught in Beirut when bombs started tofall," said Bruce Kirby, CEO of MEDEX Global Group. "Parents and schooladministrators share the concern and responsibility for the well-being oftheir students, so naturally they want to arm their students with everythingthey need to stay safe and healthy."
ABOUT MEDEX Global Group
MEDEX Global Group is North America's leading provider of internationaltravel, medical and security evacuation and assistance services. For morethan 30 years, MEDEX has served individual business and leisure traveler
