WHEN THINGS GO PEAR-SHAPED
WHEN THINGS GO PEAR-SHAPED
I J Larivers
“Caution n. Heedfulness, care.” Is how the folks at Harper Collins Publishers see it in their fine dictionary.
Hunters, and especially the ones who travel to the Dark Continent in search of really big stuff with lots of teeth and claws are not normally the meek or timorous. But they are usually the type to be well-prepared and organized. hey will have had a dental examination before undertaking a long safari, and maybe even a physical. And they will have some form of medical cover to see them through in case of some unforseen emergency. But how much of this will be just another sign-on-the-dotted-line afterthought amid all the other preparations? In Marlin Perkins’ day Mutual of Omaha provided all the insurance cover anyone could want, but the world has become a different place since Mrs bin Laden had little Osama and it’s been over a generation since most Third World hunting destinations had First World medical facilities.
So just when should caution lean towards paranoia?
Zimbabwe is probably one of the African leaders here. Despite continuing uncertainly as to what the political and economic future may hold the private medical sector is evolving at a prodigious rate - a series of emergency rooms, clinics and hospitals have stepped into the breach left by the imploding government healthcare infrastructure, and emergency care is pretty damn good. And there are a number of critical care ambulance services which also offer air evacuation from some of the country’s more remote areas. And, of course, there’s the Limpopo river, on the other side of which lies South Africa’s state-of-the-art emergency care facilities. Safari operators will be au fait with what’s available in case of emergency, and what it really can and cannot do, and this won’t be a concern to most hunters. Hopefully.
With the War on Terror all but a memory, there are also going to be a lot of ex-private military contractors wandering around, wondering where their next tax-fee seven hundred bucks a day is going to come from. There is a solution.
Operating out of Boston Massachusetts.Global Rescue LLC was founded by former Wall Street banker Dan Richards, and is operationally run by Ted Muhlner, a former US Navy SEAL with an MBA from Harvard. A close working relationship with Johns Hopkins, ranked as the number one hospital in the United States by the US News and World Report since 1990 doesn’t tarnish their CV either.
Global Rescue is a unique service provider for the 21st Century - an all-round risk management firm with CASEVAC capabilities. On the logistical front, they can get you out of somewhere you really don’t want to be. Global evacuated some two hundred people from Egypt during the Arab Spring unrest. But the primary focus is on medical emergencies.
High profile clients include ountaineer Ed Viesturs, the US Ski Team, and pro surfers Mick Fanning and Jordy Smith. "If you're out there in the boonies and you need to get rescued, you never know what it's going to cost," says Viesturs. "I don't know of any other company that does what they do."
Medical services on offer include consultations by English-speaking physicians - think about it, that is important - deployment of paramedic and medical staff on properly equipped aircraft throughout the world, coordination of local emergency response wherever you happen to be, assistance with bureaucratic red tape like visas, and arranging ommunication with your family or colleagues. And, in the gravest extreme, repatriation of mortal remains.
Worried about hunting Zimbabwe in an election year? Global will let you have a risk assessment of whatever area you are planning on visiting. Once you have made the decision to go, they say they will follow that up with evacuation if things suddenly go south.
Yes, they have their own operatives, mostly ex-special forces, and reservoirs of local talent around the world. In a lot of places, they could probably get the “right” politician on the phone sooner than later.
In one incident a few years ago, a Mexican hunter was badly mauled by a lioness in Zimbabwe. Because suitable medical facilities already existed there, Global was only called on to assist their client by helping to coordinate the local emergency response. Everyone lived happily ever after.
So what is this sort of security blanket likely to cost? A basic Global Rescue membership including CASEVAC will only run a few hundred dollars a year. Living in Zimbabwe, that is over $500 per year less than my local medical aid package costs me - although Global is not a medical insurance broker and is unlikely to fly anyone out to clean their teeth or check their blood pressure - and nearly five times cheaper than my international medical health insurance which does carry most of the bells and whistles if I need to be flown to South Africa. Now, if I want the individual security coverage, which includes evacuation from political turmoil and war zones, this will increase the cost significantly. But not beyond the realm of unaffordability. This makes you wonder how they are able to offer what they do for the fees they charge.
In actual fact, the company makes most of its money from annual retainers paid by various corporations and government agencies, who otherwise would have to pay substantial one-off fees to rescue employees when disaster strikes. Red Bull, the U.S. State Department, and NASA are numbered among their clients. The State Department out-sourcing like this? See Afghanistan and Iraq above - that’s the name of the game this millennium, and it’s probably the most cost-effective way to go.
Travel assistance and crisis response are now a global industry worth billions, and there are no fewer than eight American companies offering those services.Launched in 2004, Global Rescue was seen, at least by themselves, to offer a less impersonal and more flexible client liaison than other service providers. From the beginning they hired rescue industry professionals, including former SEALs and Air Force paramedics, and established relationships with private aviation companies all over the world. In addition, they negotiated an exclusive partnership with Johns Hopkins’ Department of Emergency Medicine, which handles trauma injuries and provides medical care for
the US Secret Service.
Following on from this basic infrastructure, the company recruited on-the-ground contractor personnel around the world: ex-special forces operators in the Middle East, bush pilots throughout Africa, and sea captains in Greece. This level of local knowledge can provide the client with everything from a reliable taxi from the airport to a C-130 out of somewhere he’d really not rather be. And if it’s really big, Global personnel will be on the ground too. After the Haiti earthquake, Global’s chief paramedic and security chief personally led a team that evacuated fifty clients. "We never see anyone else's personnel out in the field," Richards says.
Is Global Rescue the only choice? Not these days.
International SOS Assistance also provides pre-trip risk assessments and advice, both from a security standpoint and of a medical nature. In much the same way that Global Rescue is affiliated to Johns Hopkins, International SOS works in conjunction with the well-known Control Risks group, which is one of the world’s premier security and risk management companies. Medical advice includes disease risks in the country of destination, what pre-treatments might minimise the risk, and an assessment of what treatment facilities are locally available.
If you need to avail yourself of any medical service overseas, International SOS can help with referrals, replacement of prescription medications, and even delivery of medical apparatus. As withGlobal, they help where they can with the local red tape. And, when things
really go pear-shaped, they will arrange for CASEVAC and transport to more stable climes.
One service they offer that appeals to me is training. Basically, from Beijing to Johannesburg, they offer tailored training courses for non-medical personnel, and specialised instruction for medical professionals.
International SOS operates a chain of their own clinics around the world where the standard of health care might not be what it is wherever you call home - there are a number in Africa, though for obvious reasons probably not where you’ve booked your next hunt. But they’re there.
International SOS membership is available either for security assistance or medical assistance programs, or in a combined format. The combined Global Traveller package, which would suit most hunters, is just as affordable as Global Rescue – obviously prospective clients need to look into costs at the time of travel.
International SOS, however, is more of an insurance broker than Global Rescue, and within this policy there are limits to benefits, all of which are available on request.
And then there is kidnap, rescue and extortion (KRE) insurance. This, a hunter most likely won’t need, but then again this is the 21st Century. The companies that provide these services range from Lloyds of London to the really heavy hitters like Control Risks, Kroll, and the Ackerman Group. They have their own armies.
I’ve been a little whimsical here, but the point? If Leon Klinghoffer knew that he was going to get murdered and tossed over the side of the Achille Lauro back in 1985, he would have probably stayed home. The same goes for professional guide Mark Ross’s two clients who were murdered by Rwandan insurgents in Uganda in 1999. In simpler times, now past, travel insurance was something you bought for a couple of coins from a vending machine at an airport.
In those same, bygone, days, say 1954, when Ernest Hemingway survived two plane crashes in Africa, the medical care was just about as good as you could get in Europe or the United States. Once you got to it, of course. But those days are no more. Given the cost of a flight to Africa, licence and trophy fees, the PH’s daily rate and all the other ancillary costs of an African safari, or similar adventure trip, perhaps it’s worth looking into the next generation of travel cover for the new millennium.
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