– It was scary. Just being a snowshoe with being thrown out, not having any place to travel and not being able to move, says Helene Vejlskov Vie. She usually lives in Førde and on a holiday trip by sailboat in Croatia she was unlucky. One morning she was going shopping for breakfast, she slipped on a wet shop floor and injured her back. The pain was intense, she could not move. A doctor and an ambulance were called. Vie had both travel insurance and a European health insurance card in order. At the first hospital she came to, she was thoroughly examined and an X-ray was taken. When the doctors could not find fault, Vie was sent back to the sailboat, without being able to stand on his feet. The insurance company arranges for treatment and stay in a larger hospital. Vie told that it was take X-ray, but or not done other examinations. She was not given painkillers, not food and drink and had to ask many times to go to the toilet. The doctors did not find anything in the picture and at one o’clock at night she was told that she had to leave. – It was a message that I was healthy, even though I could not move, Vie said. Vie, who is herself a nurse in a hospital, was allowed to stay a little longer, but at seven in the morning she had to go out. A taxi driver helped her find a hotel. Helene Vejlskov Vie had to cancel her holiday after she injured herself on holiday. Photo: PRIVATE The offer varies Vie is very happy with the help she received from the insurance company, but not from the hospital. She was insured through her credit card and received help from SOS International, which is owned by the largest insurance companies in the Nordic region. Karin Tranberg, division director, Travelcare, SOS International, points out that Scandinavians are used to a healthcare system with a high standard and that the offer elsewhere in the world will vary from country to country. The health service will vary from country to country, says Karin Tranberg in SOS International. Photo: SOS International – We control doctors, clinics and hospitals we have in our network, so we are sure that they provide qualified treatment, when we show patients there. But we can not guarantee a treatment at the same level as in Scandinavia, says Tranberg. It is not uncommon for travelers to have follow-up treatment when they return to their home country. In some cases, the travel insurance only covers acute treatment, in other cases the treatment options in the holiday country are not considered good enough or there may be injury / illness that cannot be treated immediately, SOS International states. It is not uncommon for travelers to have follow-up treatment when they return to their home country. Photo: Christian Fougner / news Half of travel injury reports are illness – For many, hospital stays are challenging. It may work in a different way, language and culture are different. It can worsen the situation if you are ill and need help, says communications manager Heidi Tofterå Slettemoen in Frende Forsikring. A large part of the travel damage reports to Norwegian insurance companies are due to illness while traveling. In addition, there are acute injuries, Slettemoen states. The travel insurance provides a financial guarantee in the event of injury or illness abroad, so you do not have to pay for it yourself, she says. The company covers acute and necessary treatment abroad, helps you in contact with the right doctor or hospital and has medical personnel who follow up. Slettemoen also points out that the treatment offered abroad will vary, but that annleis does not always mean worse. – Just as often, we closely follow up the treatment to avoid unnecessary treatments and extra hospitalization days. You can experience very good service, when the hospital knows that the bill is covered. There is great variation in what people need help with on the holiday trip, says Heidi Tofterå Slettemoen in Frende Forsikring. Photo: Frende Forsikring If people experience that they do not receive satisfactory health care abroad, her advice is to have a dialogue with the medical advisers or the alarm center at the insurance company. It varies what travelers need help with, from stomach upset to serious incidents. Slettemoen has more advice for the trip: Some insurance companies offer medical advice before departure for those who have known illnesses. If you come to the nearest local hospital after an accident, it may be possible to be transferred to another hospital that is approved by the insurance company. Some insurance companies offer video consultation with a doctor in Norway for less serious ailments. If you consult a local doctor in the country you are holidaying in, it is a good idea to take care of receipts. It may be that the travel insurance covers the expenses. If the thought of coming to the hospital at your holiday resort is daunting, you may want to reconsider your destination. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also created an app with travel advice and travel information. – Have insurance and health card Vie interrupted the sailing holiday due to the back injury. She talked to a doctor and insurance company and took a flight to Denmark, where she has her family. Here she is for a new examination. She uses crutches to get around and has to take the time to help to get better in the back. She advises to have both a European health insurance card and travel insurance in order when traveling on holiday. – One never knows when things will go wrong. I do not know what would have happened if I had not had travel insurance. Then I probably had a seat there and we were still resting.
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Injured on holiday – was asked to leave the hospital in the middle of the night – news Vestland
