A Memorable Lesson I learned in Afghanistan

In so many years of traveling around the globe, my most unforgettable and frightening experience happened when I witnessed a young Frenchwoman suffered from an appendicitis attack back in Afghanistan. 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 abroad sometimes suffer from life threatening conditions in dire need for medical care but unfortunately, proper medical attention is not sufficient in those places.

The bus filled with Afghans broke down in the middle of nowhere after a few hours out of Kandahar. Out of confusion, a westerner worriedly approached me who was an obvious companion of the injured woman. She led me to her friend who stretched out in the back seat who was in an agonizing stomach pain. The weather was hot and they couldn't do much that's why they only applied a wet handkerchief to her friend's forehead.

A few passengers hitched at once when they saw a truck passed but it wasn't headed towards Kabul. The Frenchwoman was crying in agony and good enough, I was able to flag down a sturdy European car. The two French travelers were brought by the Swiss couple in the sedan to Kabul. The bus came after hours of waiting and the remaining Afghan passengers and I were able to get a ride. The next day, I found the Frenchwoman's companion in my hotel thanking me for what I did. In Kabul, she and the Swiss had contacted the French Embassy, which directed them to a hospital where her friend underwent an immediate appendectomy. The close call chastened the companion but she was fine.

Travelers are still faced with risky road conditions but the Maryland based association for safe international road travel in 60 foreign countries will be able to help them. The reports may vary depending on the country may it be the dangers of driving at night, the likelihood of livestock on the road, bizarre driving practices of other drivers and roads that are accident prone. It is more perilous to rent cars and buses for there is lack of safety standards.

In Turkey, a 25 year old Bethesda medical student was killed in a bus accident which is the reason why the association was founded. Accident prone roads according to the non-profit organization's accident statistics are Egypt, Kenya, South Korea, Turkey and Morocco. The list might include India but it does not provide statistics. Each country will now get a road hazard information sheet for the US State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs has been urged by the association. A health insurance and a medical evacuation policy are the two things to be considered. If ever you turn ill or are injured, the US Embassy has the capacity to help you but you should take care of the expenses. Thousands of dollars could be the cost in evacuating you by air from a remote area to an emergency hospital. Before going abroad, you should first carry a claim form and an insurance policy identity card as well as know what kind of medical services your health insurance covers according to the State Department.

A Medicare supplement plan is provided by the American Association of Retired Persons but this plan cannot be given by the Social Security Medicare if a senior citizen's treatment is done outside the country. A number of firms sell medical evacuation insurance which can be availed on an annual or per trip basis. You have a choice as to whether to purchase insurance from the company or from the travel agents.

If the greatest unfavorable events take place, call the nearest US Embassy. The very least that the embassy can offer help is to give a list of commendable doctors or other medical facilities. The embassy personnel will still take steps to assure that Americans get the best medical care. Most Americans love going to distant places where situations like this are unavoidable. Victims who have met accidents may be visited by officials to ensure that the treatment a victim receives is sufficient, that victim's friends or relatives are contacted and that the victim is transferred in a better facility in a foreign hospital.

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