A key consideration to factor in when assessing the suitability of a destination for delegate travel is the quality of medical infrastructure and services available. Photo Credit: gettyimages/Chalabala
Before Covid-19, there was Ebola, MERS and Zika. With each pandemic,
medical risk management capabilities have been tested. Today, the
logistical complexities of providing care in unpredictable situations
and constantly changing regulations have made it a minefield to
navigate.
The changes brought about by the pandemic have meant that many of the
solutions which were once used in the past may no longer be
appropriate, shared Francis Chong, VP of Collinson Assistance, Asia
Pacific, Collinson, a medical and security provider of travel risk
mitigation solutions.
“For instance, destinations that were previously deemed to have good
quality infrastructure, which traditionally presented a ‘lower risk’ to
travel, may now present new risks and considerations because of the
additional strain being placed on their medical infrastructure,” said
Chong.
Collinson’s Global Medical Director Dr Simon Worrell added that there
has been a far greater need for air ambulance evacuations from less
developed healthcare settings.
Collinson's Dr Simon Worrell and Francis Chong highlight the shifting considerations in medical risk mitigation and the impact they have on travel management programmes. Photo Credit: Collinson“This has partly been due to the difficulty of getting medical
escorts into the territory without quarantine, but also the severity of
the cases and the need to move the patients to a tertiary centre as soon
as possible. This has led to a relative paucity of air ambulances,
especially those equipped to carry COVID-19 patients,” he said.
Dr Worrell added that it was crucial to factor in delays due to
aircraft unavailability, increased flight times, and various landing
permissions that have to be sought, all of which impact the timely
management of patients.
With this in mind, planners need to consider a destination’s
vaccination rate, testing capabilities and infrastructure, as well as
medical facility access and capacity in their decision-making. A
suitable travel risk management (TRM) programme isn’t a
“one-size-fits-all solution”.
“In today’s world, it means that planners need to take into account
both pre-pandemic ‘normal’ travel-related risks, as well as the ongoing
risks and complexities that are new and unique to the pandemic era.
Pre-trip, travel managers should give employees a checklist of
requirements for the journey, from risk assessment forms to tests and
travel testing requirements,” said Chong.
“During the journey, companies should actively monitor the situation
to ensure a swift response should anything go wrong, and they should be
giving employees access to tools that support their physical and mental
well-being.
“We recommend detailed post-trip reports to get feedback on the
effectiveness of assistance programmes, including transport and
accommodation, which can help with future planning. Travel managers need
to rely on and leverage third-party expertise to ensure that both the
organisation and its individual staff have all the up-to-the-minute
information and support they need,” he added.
Even as the world strives to reach a state of normalcy, stringent
protocols will continue to provide the framework for a safe, structured
and controlled return to international travel. The adherence to
vaccination and testing requirements is vital to the smooth planning of
meetings and events, and a safe travel experience for delegates.
A
recent Collinson and Centre of Aviation research of over 400 industry
experts found that more than half (54%) believe Covid-19 testing
protocols will remain key to re-opening borders until the end of 2022,
with a further 26% expecting this to continue until the end of 2023.
Read more about risk management planning in our latest M&C Asia January - March issue.