How to Find Medical Care Abroad

Finding medical help abroad can be difficult, especially when the situation calls for quick action. That’s why it is a good idea to have access to English-speaking doctors in the countries to be visited.

One way to do this is to assemble a list of physicians, including addresses and phone numbers, before leaving home. Ask your family doctor for names, especially if he or she has traveled a lot. Or contact tourist offices or consulates for the countries to be visited and ask for their suggestions.

Another option is to call the International Association for Medical Assistance for Travelers (IAMAT). The only service of its kind in the United States, IAMAT is a medically respected nonprofit organization dedicated to helping travelers have healthy journeys through preparation, as well as through reliable medical care abroad. IAMAT keeps current a list of more than 3,000 physicians in 1,400 cities in 140 countries who speak English and have been trained in the United States, Canada or Great Britain.

Each year IAMAT publishes an updated booklet naming the centers in each country that it has selected to be part of the network. A traveler must call and request this booklet. All that’s expected in return is a donation. (Although the organization makes no suggestions, physicians who have written about the service have recommended donations of about $30.)

Many centers are hospitals or medical institutes. If a specialist is needed, the center can provide a list of approved doctors on 24-hour call. Also offered is information on the best places in a country to obtain blood transfusions. Each center physician agrees to charge no more than IAMAT’s fee schedule, which currently is $45 for an office visit, $55 for a hotel call and $65 for assistance at night, on Sundays or on holidays.

IAMAT was organized 30 years ago in Rome by Italian physician Vincenzo Marcolongo, who had witnessed a variety of medical problems encountered by travelers.

In one instance, a Canadian woman suffering from a migraine headache was referred to him after experiencing serious side effects from a painkilling drug called aminopyrine. At that time it was a commonly used drug in Italy. But the doctor who prescribed it was unaware that aminopyrine had been banned in the United States years earlier because of its ill effects on Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians.

This experience convinced Marcolongo that medical services for travelers should be coordinated so travelers can be treated with a medical approach similar to what they receive at home.

In addition to the international directory of physicians, the organization publishes other information useful to overseas travelers. One such publication is a series of 24 “World Climate Charts” that note information such as temperatures, rainy and dry months, and the safety of food and water in different regions of the world.

For more information about IAMAT: 417 Center St., Lewiston, N.Y. 14092, (716) 754-4883.

No matter what the source of your referral doctor, medical officials in this country advise that caution be taken when allowing blood transfusions, injections or other invasive procedures. In some instances, it may be advisable to have the doctor telephone your physician at home for consultation.

Should all of this prove inconvenient, major hotels in foreign countries and U.S. embassies usually have local physicians on call.