Took out travel policy with Travel Insurance 4 Medical for our 20 days Mediterranean Cruise, 13/8 t0 01/9/2018 booking direct with company.
On `28 August whilst visiting Gibraltar, our last port of call before returning to Southampton, my wife fell and broke her left hip. We were put off the ship, and my wife was transferred into Gibraltar Hospital where she was operated upon and given a complete hip replacement the next day 29th. Meanwhile, I was left in the hospital, my wife being my carer as I have dementia, becoming agitated and disorientated until the hospital and the P.O. Company Agent arranged for me to be accompanied to a hotel with a Medoc Nurse for the night. The hospital meanwhile had telephoned my daughter in Bristol and suggested that she should fly out to Gibraltar to look after me, she arrived the next day. We were told that the ship, insurance company and the port agent and the hospital would be liaising with each other and all would be taken care of. But it does not work like that at all. The cost of the first night at the hotel was borne by the port agent, after that we were on our own. The single most important thing that we learned, was that one must personally contact your claims department of your insurance company yourself and that any claim made must be validated by them before any help is given, this can take many days and become frustrating especially if numerous calls to them result in having to repeat all of the information to different people, so ask for your case workers name too. A lot of information is required by the insurance company before one gets any decision on the claim being made. I.e., Claim Form, Consent form from you to them to allow them to obtain your medical records from whatever hospital you may be in. Consent form from you to the hospital records office allowing them to disclose your medical records to the insurance company, consent form from you to your U.K. GP giving consent for them to release your medical records to them. Be aware that what information your GP passes over may not be what you think that you may suffer from. So it may pay to ask Your GP if in his opinion it is safe for you to travel. When all this medical information is gathered in, it is then passed over to the insurance medical services who the peruse it all. Then the insurance underwriters have to validate it. It is then passed on to the repatriation team who make the arrangements for travel arrangements etc.
Travel Insurance 4 Medical , once the claim had been validated, was really on the ball. Hotel expenses paid for and stay extended until a nurse was flown out from UK to escort my wife back, wheelchair support both in Gibraltar and at Heathrow, flights and transport from Heathrow to home.. The service we received from Travel Insurance 4 Medical was, once our claim was validated,
first class. I recommend this Insurance Company to all, But do remember to contact them personally as soon as possible if making a claim. If for a cruising holiday ensure that your policy covers this too.
Reviewed on: 13th September 2018
