A travel insurance company has launched a 24-hour emergency call centre for travellers heading to China for the Olympics.
AIG UK is part of American International Group Inc and provides private insurance and corporate insurance to small and medium companies. It is supported by the global medical emergency service AIG Travel Assist, which has joined forces with Global Doctor which has eight clinics across China.
The new coalition means those with AIG UK travel insurance policies can take advantage of the 24-hour emergency phone number. They will also have access to bilingual doctors and nurses, two physicians and a medical assistance supervisor who will liaise between medical staff and the patient. The service is free for AIG UK policy holders.
AIG Travel Assist will send the two physicians, who are also medical directors, to the Beijing call centre. One of the physicians is a specialist in medical evacuation and is experienced in pre-hospital care and disaster planning. The second will tour local medical facilities and be on stand-by.
The emergency number is intended for mass injuries, for example from a bus crash, evacuation or large-scale accident in a stadium. Bob Trinder, the marketing manager for AIG UK, said: ”The centre is a good example of the way AIG, including AIG UK, tries to anticipate situations and respond to them in advance ” with so many people insured by AIG worldwide being in China for the Games.”
For individual injuries, AIG UK policyholders will be encouraged to call their usual emergency helpline number in their home country. Their health centres at home will then liaise with the Beijing centre.
The call centre opened on August 2 and will close on August 28. Although it is based in the capital it will be able to deal with injuries in other Olympic cities.
The partnership between AIG Travel Assist and Global Doctors will continue after the Olympics have finished.
For more information, visit aiguk.co.uk or click here.
Sarah Riches