Non-profit organization helps sick travelers get expert medical care abroad

Imagine exploring the Maya ruins of Mexico or enjoying the sun on a beach in the Dominican Republic during Spring Break and suddenly coming down with a fever or inexplicable pains. You don’t speak the language and you don’t know where to find a reliable doctor. What do you do?

Well, if you’ve planned ahead you refer to IAMAT's medical directory for the name of a resident doctor who speaks your language, is up-to-date on Western medicine and is committed to treating IAMAT members for a set fee. If you haven’t, you take your chances and the odds can be long.

In fact, IAMAT (International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers), a non-profit
organization, was established for just that reason: To protect travelers from the vagaries of local medical practices, to observe high medical standards, and to do it all in the language of the patient.

Like many seasoned travelers, Fred Armstrong of London, Ontario, carries his IAMAT handbook with its list of English-speaking member doctors around the world whenever he travels. And he uses it with confidence.

"I have been an IAMAT member for about 20 years and I’m most impressed with their service," he says. "I would never travel without IAMAT assistance." So much so, in fact, that he has used the service many times, most recently in Rome. "Although it was a holiday when I phoned, the doctor was available and also took the trouble to phone me afterward to see if everything was alright," he adds.

The speed of modern aircraft has opened the world to travelers – and to the spread of diseases that can plague them, allowing them to leap from continent to continent in a matter of hours not months or weeks or days, something the late Dr. Vincenzo Marcolongo, the founder of IAMAT, realized 50 years ago when jets first took to the skies.

Dr. Marcolongo had trained in Canada but was living in Rome in 1960 when colleagues asked him about a Canadian traveler they were treating who was not responding to medication and was in rapid decline. With his knowledge of North American medicine he realized they were treating her with a drug that worked well on Italians (their customary patients) but could be deadly to people of northern European descent such as their patient. His quick action in withdrawing the drug and giving her blood transfusions saved her life and inspired him to set up IAMAT to protect travelers from similar fatal misunderstandings around the world.

To bring it into being he coordinated the services of doctors who had trained in the west and were now practicing abroad, staffing universities and medical colleges, or doing research, all of whom shared his concerns and agreed to treat travelers for a set fee which is now $100 for a consultation.

IAMAT membership is free, although a tax-deductible donation is appreciated to advance the work, which in addition to providing access to doctors in more than 90 countries and 350 cities promotes advocacy for traveler’s health in general, and provides full-package information on travel vaccinations, disease risk and accident prevention as well as food and water safety precautions for all countries.

Not only can IAMAT doctors treat the immediate problems, says Dr. William Forgey, Associate Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine and an IAMAT affiliated physician, but they can help you navigate the local health system, provide you with prescription refills and fill a useful role in your recovery plans.

"It’s always important to have access to a reliable medical contact who speaks your language regardless of your travel plans," Dr. Forgey adds.

Whether you are traveling independently or staying at a resort, being able to rely on a good doctor during a stressful situation allows you to better cope with the situation at hand.

"Seeking advice from a highly qualified physician who is expertly trained to handle diseases which are well known locally, but seldom seen or experienced in your home country, can be life-saving at times. Accessing the help of a local physician who is an expert in infectious diseases, or who can refer you to a cardiologist or trauma expert for immediate care, is a valuable asset that IAMAT provides to the traveling public," adds Dr. Forgey.

For more information and to join IAMAT, go to www.iamat.org.

- 30 -

Contact: Nadia Sallese
Position: IAMAT - Director of Member Services
Address: 1287 St. Clair Avenue West, #10, Toronto, ON M6E 1B8
Phone: 416 652 0137
E-mail: info@iamat.org
Website: www.iamat.org