|
Friday, 18 July 2008 |
www.iamat.org
What do you do if you fall off the back
of the jeep while on safari in Kenya,
contract girardia drinking from a
mountain stream in Bhutan, or suffer
from altitude sickness while trekking in
Bolivia? The International Association
for Medical Assistance to Travellers
(IAMAT) is here to help.
IAMAT is a non-profit organisation
and a leader in the field of travel
medicine, whose mission is to advise
travellers about health risks, the
geographical distribution of diseases, immunisation requirements, sanitary conditions of water,
milk and food, and environmental and climatic conditions around the world.
Perhaps one of the most useful services the association offers is the network of doctors,
hospitals and clinics throughout the world who have agreed to treat IAMAT members in need
of medical care during their journey, and who speak English and have had medical training in
North America or Europe.
It also guarantees a fixed rate of $80 for a first visit to a doctor while abroad, and regularly
checks on the facilities to ensure top-class sanitary conditions. Much of the content of the site
is available only to members and while it’s free to become one, a donation is “very much
appreciated”. Non-members can, however, download some particularly handy immunisation and
malaria charts, or buy one of the medically approved mosquito net kits at cost price.
Altogether a very useful site for travellers, and the association is well worth supporting.
|
