MediSky offers solutions that will organise and cover all costs of treatment as well as medical transport to the nearest hospital that will provide proper care. But what is medical transport, how much does it cost, what should be taken into consideration? These and other questions are answered in our interview by Przemysław Hołownia, Director of NORD AMBULANSE.
Let’s start with the basics. What is medical transport and when can we need it?
Przemysław Hołownia: Medical transport is the transport of sick people with limited mobility, carried out using specialised means of transport such as an ambulance or a medical aircraft. Both means of transport enable safe transport of the patient, e.g. in a lying position. Medical transport is particularly useful e.g. in the case of orthopaedic injuries, namely fractures, when often the patient should not move independently.
So, medical transport can be used by a person who cannot cope on their own?
Exactly, medical transport is intended for people who are not able to use public transport on their own. In such a situation, they are transported with the assistance of rescuers/paramedics from point A to point B and back, if necessary.
What kind of transport do you provide?
We provide both types of services: ground medical transport (by ambulance) and air medical transport (by medical or scheduled aircraft – with the assistance of a paramedic/doctor).
Air travel for tourist purposes is not the cheapest nowadays, let alone for medical purposes. What are the prices of such a service, what do they depend on?
The average cost of an ambulance ride is PLN 3 per km, e.g. the cost of medical transport in an ambulance from Berlin to Warsaw with the assistance of paramedics will oscillate around PLN 4,000 gross. Each transport is priced individually and the price is influenced by e.g. the composition of the ambulance team or the priority of such transport. The cost of transport by medical aircraft, e.g. from London to Gdańsk, oscillates around EUR 20,000 – here the price is influenced by the patient’s condition, airport fees or transport priority, among other factors.
We already know the price, so can I arrange such transport in a similar way as I call an ambulance?
The medical transport procedure is not complicated. As far as it concerns domestic transport by ambulance, it is based mainly on a telephone conversation with the dispatcher, determining the details of transport and sending a transport order via a dedicated notification link.
The notification of international transport, both by air and ground, should additionally include the consent of the attending physician for transport (the attending physician often decides which type of transport is advisable) and a medical report which is issued by the attending physician or the physician on duty.
Medical transport is stressful for the patient and his/her family. How do you try to influence the comfort of your “passenger”?
Medical transport itself should not generate stress. Rather a situation that forces the patient to use such transport can be stressful. Anxiety may be caused by the lack of knowledge regarding the medical transport procedure. For many of us, it seems very complicated. Therefore, the first conversation with the dispatcher is very important. The dispatcher will explain step by step what the medical transport will look like, will help in arranging the necessary documents and will remotely accompany the entire procedure.
Who mainly uses your services – people who do not have any insurance or maybe people who e.g. purchased travel insurance?
80% of medical transport carried out by us is covered from the private funds of the patient/family. It often happens that the family is forced to take out a loan for this purpose. Unfortunately, when we go on vacation, we often forget about additional travel or health insurance, which results in a burden for our loved ones. Health insurance, compared to travel costs, is often an unnoticeable cost but protects us not only against high costs of hospital treatment, but also against the costs of returning to the country using specialised means of medical transport.
Is there space for your activities in Poland or is it rather a domain on international markets?
Our registered office is located in the Tri-City, so Poland is our main space.
You have been operating on the market as NORD AMBULANSE since 2011. What is the biggest challenge in your industry?
Uncontrollable inflation ? Over the years, we have learnt to deal with stress and time pressure. Of course, as in every industry, there are new problems/situations that we have not faced before, but my experience allows me to say that there is no situation without a solution ?
The interview was made in cooperation with
