AIR AMBULENCE COVERAGE EXPECTED TO BOOST TOURISM SALES
(Posted 10th December 2015)
The Nairobi Wilson Airport based Flying Doctors have earlier this month launched their insurance cover for air evacuation from locations inside Uganda, similar to the scheme already in place for decades in Kenya and Tanzania.
The so called ‘Maisha Air Ambulance’ cover was launched after successful talks with the Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, notably not any of the tourism association bodies, to provide crucial medevac services in case of a serious illness or an accident with either a fixed wing aircraft or a helicopter then taking the patients to a hospital in the region, often the Nairobi Hospital due to its superior medical treatment services not otherwise available at hospitals or medical centres in Uganda.
The Flying Doctors operate a number of specially outfitted aircraft able to onload a stretcher with a patient and with emergency equipment on board, similar to ambulances on the ground and have been serving the region for decades from their operations base at Wilson Airport in Nairobi.
According to AMREF officials, AMREF stands for African Medical Research Foundation, will the insurance cover be available also beyond Uganda in Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, including Zanzibar.
The cost was given as between US Dollars 30 to US Dollars 110 depending on coverage area and duration of the stay of a visitor.
Tourism sources, some surprised that the insurance package is now available for sale in Uganda, welcomed the deal but also questioned why the tourism industry itself did not take steps to introduce such covers for their clients.
Added destination information can be found via www.visituganda.com or www.ugandawildlife.org
