What to do if you suddenly fall ill
- As featured in:
As featured in:
- Seek medical attention
- Get any reports in writing
- Retain all your receipts
- Cover for some Coronavirus-related events during your holiday
- Need to know more?
- How does my travel insurance policy help me in an emergency?
1. Seek medical attention
If you suddenly feel unwell at any time during your overseas trip, go to the nearest medical centre or hospital. An emergency transport service provider can carry you to the nearest hospital if you’re in too much pain to walk or take public transport.
In case you don’t know the whereabouts of your nearest hospital or doctor’s surgery, you can call our 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team who will direct you where to go. You’ll need to tell them your policy number, what seems to be wrong with you and your current location.
After being examined by a hospital or medical centre doctor, call our 24/7 Emergency Assistance Team again to update them on your situation. If you’re admitted to hospital, our Emergency Assistance Team will correspond with the Admissions Department regarding payments and care arrangements.
2. Get any reports in writing
You will need to provide copies of all reports in relation to your illness. Cover is only provided for illnesses that happen during your trip and not for any existing medical conditions. We may request a report on your medical history from your General Practitioner in Australia if we require further information. Types of reports you’ll need to obtain include:
- Emergency medical transport report (if taken to hospital by ambulance or helicopter).
- Treating doctor’s report stating the date you fell ill, the diagnosis and prognosis, as well as the causation of your illness.
- Hospital admission report stating the dates you were admitted and discharged from hospital.
- Other medical reports such as lab reports, specialist’s reports and public health emails confirming a Coronavirus (COVID-19) diagnosis.
- Any correspondence from airline, hotel or railway firms confirming cancellations of any accommodation or journeys that you had paid for.
3. Retain all your receipts
If you wish to claim for any expenses you incurred because of falling ill on your overseas holiday, then you’ll need to be able to provide your receipts. While it’s always necessary to keep receipts for your medical expenses, make sure that you keep any other receipts from your holiday as well. Receipts for hotel stays, flights and even dining receipts (if you experienced food poisoning) may be required to substantiate your claim. Examples of receipts that you should keep include:
- All hospital and doctor’s receipts
- Receipts for pharmaceutical products that you may have purchased
- Pathology receipts
- Hotel, airline, railway, bus company and/or restaurant receipts
4. Cover for some Coronavirus-related events during your holiday
If you or one of your travelling partners contracts COVID-19 at any time during your holiday, and you need to cancel your travel plans, then you may be able to claim for any non-refundable expenses that you had incurred. Your Explorer Plan cover must already be in effect (having already passed your 72-hour waiting period), at the time that you or one of your companions caught COVID-19.
To support your claim, you’ll need to obtain a treating doctor’s report or medical certificate stating the Coronavirus diagnosis. Other documents that you’ll need to provide include pathology reports or official health statements indicating a positive COVID-19 result for you or anyone in your travelling party. Any claims for non-refundable expenses will need to be supported by copies of your receipts.
Please note: Coronavirus cover varies between plans.
To find out what cover applies to you, read our Coronavirus cover article, which has all of the details, including benefit limits, conditions and exclusions.
5. Need to know more?
This information may help if things go wrong and you want to make a claim. All travel insurance plans are different, and cover will vary, depending on what’s happened, your Country of Residence, the plan you choose and any options or upgrades you buy. Your PDS will always have the full details of what you’re covered for.
If you have any further questions about what’s covered and not covered, just ask us.
How does my travel insurance policy help me in an emergency?
Travel Insurance Benefits: how we can take care of you
Trip Cancellation
Protect your trip from unexpected cancellation.
- Explorer Plan: Unlimited
- Standard Plan: $5,000
Trip Protection
- Unexpectedly hospitalised?
- Travel buddy unfit to travel?
- Close relative suddenly dies?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Overseas
Take the pain out of medical costs.
- Explorer Plan: Unlimited
- Standard Plan: $5,000,000
Emergency Medical Insurance
- Need meds quick?
- Accidentally injured?
- Suddenly sick?
We’ve got your back.
Emergency Medical Transport
We'll get you to hospital lickety-split
- Explorer Plan: Unlimited
- Standard Plan: $500,000
Evacuation and Repatriation
- Banged up abroad?
- Need a hospital urgently?
- Medivac home?
Help starts here.
Protect your gear
Cover your stolen or damaged gear and tech.
- Explorer Plan: $10,000
- Standard Plan: $2,000
Protect your gear
- Passport or tech stolen?
- Airline lost your gear?
- Bags delayed?
Help starts here.
- Overseas Medical Expenses
- Emergency dental treatment
- 24 hour assistance
- Emergency medical transport & repatriation
- Cancellation costs
- Trip interruption costs
- Compassionate emergency visit home
- Resumption of trip
- Theft or accidental damage to baggage and personal items
- Baggage delay over 12 hours
- Funeral expenses overseas or repatriation of remains
- Personal liability
24/7 emergency assistance
If you need medical assistance or emergency medical evacuation our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year before and during your trip.
Are you in need of emergency assistance right now?
Phone: +61 2 8263 0470 or Phone: +61 2 8292 1470 (reverse charges via an operator from anywhere in the world)
Contact the team
Before your trip, check the latest government advice for any travel alerts for your destination.