Road Hazard Information Needed by Some Countries

The most startling medical circumstance I ever faced with in all of my travels happened in Afghanistan when a young Frenchwoman suddenly suffered from an appendicitis attack right before my eyes. While the bus that she was riding on got stranded in the middle of an abandoned desert, her pains began. Americans who love to travel in remote places can sometimes suffer from life threatening conditions.

After several hours out of Kandahar, the bus crowded with Afghans broke down in the middle of nowhere. A westerner who was an obvious friend of the Frenchwoman was puzzled and worried as she approached me. She showed me the Frenchwoman stretched out in the back seat who was suffering from a stomach pain. A wet handkerchief was placed on the Frenchwoman's forehead to make her feel better during the day's scorching heat.

After an hour and another, a few passengers began hitching rides on one of the trucks that rarely passed but none was going near Kabul. Luckily, I was able to stop a European sedan when the Frenchwoman was sobbing in pain. In the sedan, a young Swiss couple was kind enough to bring the French travelers to Kabul. When another bus came after a few hours, I and the rest of the Afghan passengers immediately caught it. The Frenchwoman's companion went to my hotel to thank me the next day. The French Embassy in Kabul immediately led the Swiss and her to a hospital in Kabul where her friend is required to undergo an immediate appendectomy. It was definitely a close call which shook up the friend.

In 60 foreign countries, travelers in 60 foreign countries are provided with hazardous road conditions by the Maryland based association for safe international road travel. Depending on the country, the report may cite the dangers of night driving, the probability of livestock on the road, accident prone roads and unusual driving practices. Safety standards are insufficient which makes cars and buses rental riskier.

The incident that took place in Turkey where a 25 year old Bethesda medical student was killed made it possible for the association to be found. Accident prone roads according to the non-profit organization's accident statistics are Egypt, Kenya, South Korea, Turkey and Morocco. India might be on the list, but it does not provide statistics. The association persuaded the US State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs to contain in its consular information sheet relevant details about road hazards to be distributed in each country. Purchase a medical evacuation policy and hold sufficient health insurance. You are obliged to take care of your own expenses if ever you become ill or are injured but the US Embassy can help you look for a medical care. In order to get to an emergency hospital from a remote area, evacuating you by air can cost thousands of dollars. At the very least, before you travel outside the country, the State Department said that you should first carry a claim form and an insurance policy identity card and also know what kind of medical services your health insurance covers.

Treatment outside United States is not covered by the Social Security Medicare program for senior citizens but the payment can be obtained by the offer of the American Association of Retired Persons through a Medicare supplement plan. Annually or on a per trip basis are the ways which medical evacuation insurance can be purchased from a number of firms. The company directly sells insurance although you could also purchase from travel agents.

Call the nearest US Embassy if worst happens. Other medical facilities and a list of local doctors are the two things you could from the embassy. Americans should get the best medical care according to the embassy personnel. This happens most likely in very distant areas that most Americans visit. Proper treatment, a better facility and friends or relatives are the three things that an accident victim in a foreign country needs which are monitored by the officers.

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