When is medical repatriation necessary?
If you suffer a critical injury or contract a serious illness requiring hospitalization while outside your country of residence, you may become entitled to what is known as medical repatriation.
There are three main reasons for repatriation:
- The country you are in lacks the necessary medical resources to treat you effectively.
- You can expect an extended stay in hospital of several weeks or months.
- Your injury or condition means you cannot safely travel home as planned.
Medical repatriation aims to ensure the well-being and safety of the sick or injured person during transport. It aims to ensure that the safest, most suitable most of transport is used to prevent discomfort, infection or further injury.
It is important to ensure that your health insurance or travel insurance includes repatriation services, as the costs of such complex transport arrangements can otherwise be exceedingly high.
What medical repatriation services does ottonova offer?
ottonova includes worldwide coverage and medical repatriation services in all its health insurance tariffs, including its special Expat tariff. We assess each individual case on its own merits to determine the safest and most expedient way to proceed.
At ottonova, there is a three-step process to medical repatriation.
- Firstly, your repatriation must be ordered by a doctor. This means that a medical professional must determine that you would be treated more effectively in Germany.
- You must then inform us by using the Concierge service in the ottonova app. Tell us everything you can and provide contact details for the institution treating you.
- Finally, we will make all necessary arrangements to transport you safely and efficiently back to Germany.
In our First Class, Business Class and Premium Economy tariffs, we offer medical repatriation even if your situation is stable and you can be treated effectively abroad once your stay in hospital exceeds 14 days.