Info Needed By Us Before a Repatriation

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 When organising a medical repatriation, we ensure that every moment counts. We recognise the importance of returning patients to their home country as quickly as possible, so they can access the highest standard of medical care and be reunited with their loved ones. 

 To effectively assess a patient’s medical condition prior to an air ambulance transfer, we recommend providing relevant medical documentation, such as doctor’s letters, test results, medical reports, and patient records. These documents can be submitted in any language.

There is no need to arrange translation, as our international teams work in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Turkish, Polish, Russian, and several Arabic dialects. This enables us to review most documentation directly in its original form.

For minor injuries or illnesses, information provided by relatives is often sufficient for us to initiate the repatriation process. In such cases, it is not always necessary to provide full medical records at the outset; these can be submitted later if required.

We encourage you not to delay contacting us while waiting for a doctor’s letter. Instead, please reach out as soon as possible so we can begin planning and coordinating your medical repatriation efficiently.

Many patients and their families are often unsure who determines whether a patient is fit to travel. In many cases, they rely on the opinion of the treating hospital physicians, who may not always be fully aware of the capabilities and medical equipment available on board a fully equipped air ambulance aircraft or helicopter.

As a result, a patient may sometimes be advised not to travel, simply because the medical team is not familiar with the level of care and monitoring available during air ambulance transport.

 The decision on whether a patient is fit to fly is ultimately made by the accompanying flight doctor, who assumes responsibility for the patient’s care during transport. Our flight doctors are highly experienced in emergency medicine and flight physiology, with extensive expertise in medical air transport. This allows them to reliably assess a patient’s suitability for travel. If any uncertainties arise, our doctors will liaise directly with the treating physicians on the ground and involve them in key medical decisions.

If the treating doctors abroad advise that a patient is unfit to travel, this assessment is not necessarily final. We encourage you to contact us as soon as possible, preferably by telephone, so that our medical team can carry out an independent evaluation of the patient’s fitness to fly. In many cases, we are able to begin planning the medical repatriation immediately, without unnecessary delays.

Flying Nurses provides airport transportation services to ensure that you get to and from the airport safely and on time. Our drivers are trained to assist you with your luggage and ensure that you arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare.