Definition
Travel insurance cover for emergency transport to the nearest suitable hospital, or back to India, when local care is inadequate. It can include air ambulances, helicopter rescue and a medical escort. Costs run into lakhs, making it one of the most important parts of a policy.
What evacuation covers
- Ambulance or helicopter transfer to the nearest suitable hospital
- Air ambulance to a better-equipped hospital in another country
- Repatriation to India once you are stable enough to fly, sometimes with a medical escort or stretcher seats on a commercial flight
- Repatriation of mortal remains, usually as a separate line
Why it matters
A helicopter rescue in the Himalayas or the Alps can cost several thousand US dollars, and an air ambulance from Europe to India can exceed USD 100,000. Without cover, families end up borrowing or crowdfunding.
Watch the exclusions
- Adventure activities: trekking above a set altitude, scuba diving, skiing or paragliding may be excluded unless you buy an add-on.
- Pre-authorisation: most insurers pay only if their own assistance company arranges the evacuation, so call the 24-hour helpline first.
- Medical necessity: the insurer's doctors decide whether evacuation is needed, not your wish to fly home.
Example
A Pune trekker on the Everest Base Camp route develops altitude sickness at 4,900 m. He had bought an adventure add-on covering high-altitude trekking, so the insurer's assistance team arranges a helicopter to Kathmandu. Without that add-on, the flight, costing several thousand dollars, would have been his to pay.
Practical advice
- Check the evacuation limit and adventure exclusions before buying.
- Save the insurer's emergency number on your phone and with someone at home.
- Senior citizens on long US or Canada trips should put medical and evacuation limits ahead of extras; see sum insured.
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