Gotcha, thanks. That makes sense.Originally Posted by Rob
Gotcha, thanks. That makes sense.
In January, we noticed that many many visitors are as old or older than we are. Lots of Gray hairs going to Negril these days.
We like to give ourselves the best chance possible in case of a heart attack by staying at Seastar where Chris and Francine have a defibrillator on site and a staff that is trained to use it.
Also be very very careful when walking as well.
Travel insurance is good; but not if you can't get to the hospital.
I'll be waiting to see what comes of this..Not one of them could give at least an "aproximate" rate for transfer to Mobay or even Sav ???? I'm surprised someone that has lived there so long and is so well versed about the communty has not come across this situation- maybe not you in particular but friends or fellow boardies who had to use the private ambulance-i thought maybe you'd have some feedback from someone whos dealt with issue...
ok, i'll check back and see what info turns up....thanks
" Ones destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things." (Henry Miller)
I have never had to use the ambulance. I have been to the hospital but always went with a friend.
From those who I know have used a private ambulance, they paid by credit card and got reimbursed by their health insurance company back home. I didnt want to pry into their private matters to find out how much they paid or how much they got reimbursed, it didnt seem like any business of mine.
Feel free to contact the companies yourself if you so desire.
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
This is so taken for granted - as tourists we purchase travellers insurance and would expect medical emergency services. I think this is crucial information which should be readily available at hotels and excursions such as Ricks. Hotels should also have a defibrillator like Sea Star. I also found this site for air ambulance - http://www.intlairlink.net/air-ambulance.html.
Monica,
That is part of the information I am trying to receive from each of the companies. Do all travellers insurance policies cover the private ambulance costs, and if so, how much? And if not, which ones do?
What health insurance plans have reciprocal coverage in Jamaica?
Each person travelling abroad should check the fine print of their health insurance policies and find out what services are covered and not covered abroad. Most decent policies would have these expenses covered, but unless their is a reciprocal arrangement with an insurance company in Jamaica (I think Blue Cross has one with Sagicor, but am not positive) you would need to pay locally, keep the receipt and have your insurance company reimburse you when you get back home.
To get all the correct information that is being asked in this thread, as I stated, there are a lot of issues involved to be accurate - it is not just a simple, "for this ambulance ride you pay this much". And remember that the hospital/emergency costs will need to be covered as well. if you need an ambulance, the ambulance cost may be the least of your worries.
Two of the companies I am dealing with also offer air ambulance services and have offices on other Caribbean islands. This is one of their specialties.
The Air Link Express charter service link you posted is essentially a local island charter service that offers air ambulance as one of their services. The majority of their business comes from taking passengers across the island - normally the MoBay-Kingston route for business people who need to conduct business in Kingston. They do not specialize in air ambulance services, but do offer that service.
And this situation is something on the mind of each person who lives in and around Negril. We live with this on a daily basis - which is why Cliff Reynolds was so adamant about the problem in the article posted. But the fire department spokesman was correct, it was a motorcycle (two actually) that caused the accident. I drove by moments after it happened and one of the cyclists was being helped into a taxi to go to the emergency room in Sav. He was banged up pretty bad.
Negril.com - For the vacation that never ends!
Thanks for your responses Rob.
It will be good to know all those little details when they are ready to be publicized. In the meantime, I'd just like to know names and numbers as well as email/websites for those that do service Negril, preferably with trained personnel and decent emergency equipment, both ground and air, if offered from the Negril airport. I didn't have much success identifying that by googling. I could then take that info to my global insurance provider to find out if that's approved and how to handle for reimbursement. My company would ultimately be the deciding factor for reimbursement, not the one providing the service. A big question is whether the companies take only cash or accept credit card.
Thank you for looking into this, Rob... Could literally be life saving information...
The wife and I stay in a two bedroom villa for the winter .The second bedroom is for friends and relatives rotating in and out.
Our nephew ,new wife and 1 year old baby were with us this past Feb. The baby ended up with an ear infection from the flight down
which ended up with siezures that they couldn't control.We told the front desk and they called a private ambulance.The ride took only 30 minutes
My wife and nephew and his wife rode in the back.Halfway they pulled over as my nephew was white from riding so fast in the back .They gave him oxygen and put him in the front.Three days later they were still in the Sav hospital.Somewhere around 100 people were in the waiting room.Anger and frustration was in everybodies face.During the night the police came in three times to defuse frustrations.They gave the baby a spinal tap without anestetia to rule out menegitis .They took the medicine that the parents had brought along and refused to let them administer them.A call back home to their baby doctor to assure they were doing the right thing angered the Sav dr. saying she knew how to handle this.Their dr. back home told the parents to get the baby to the U.S. as quick as they could as time was of the essence.Multiple siezures are not good.The parents put down two credit cards for $18,000 for med vac.The hospital would not give medvac any info.Three days after arriving at the hospital the medvac ambulance came with 2 American Dr./nurses and immediately administered the medicine the parents had and flew them to a Florida hospital where they stayed for 4 days before they flew home.
The private ambulance ride to Sav was $50 paid in advance.They were there in 5 minutes.The wife and I will carry insurance from now on.We also dicussed which hospital we would like to be brought to with other long stayers in our complex and we all agreed to take he extra time to go to Mobay than Sav. Hope this helps with the discussion.We certainly don't want to go through that again.
Farmer
Farmer, I am sorry to hear what your family had to endure. I have yet to hear a good thing about Sav Hospital and one should be advised to make the extra leg to Mobay. Thanks for sharing your story to help us all be better informed.
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