Travel insurance and medical evacuation: view from the far side.

Travel insurers and medical evacuation companies have a responsibility to provide an efficient high-quality service to their clients. These companies often deliver a standard far short of best practice and far short of their promotional brochures. Their services are overdue for governmental review and a lifting of standards. Travellers must be given realistic advice about the risks of foreign travel and that healthcare resources at their destination may be very limited. Travellers must check with their insurer that the policy they buy truly meets their needs. Some people should not travel overseas.