International private medical insurer InterGlobal is urging expats and their advisers to check their level of emergency medical evacuation cover. The company is concerned that some health insurance plans fail to provide evacuation cover for serious medical conditions and others could force expats to abandon their dependants in overseas jurisdictions.

Peter Rousseau, InterGlobal's business development director, says, "We're con cerned that some expats believe they are receiving a higher level of evacuation cover than is actually the case. This could leave them or their families seriously exposed in the event of a medical emergency, and we urge all expats to check their cover carefully.

"We've heard of cases of expats being forced to leave their spouses and children behind because their evacuation cover was inadequate. Just think of the stress this adds to the patient and family, and how much longer it would take a patient to recover if they were worrying about their family.

"We've also heard of people being refused evacuation because their condition wasn't considered life-threatening, even though local facilities were inadequate. In these circumstances, we believe it is far better to evacuate a patient on a scheduled flight to a decent regional hospital. This provides better-quality care and prevents treatable conditions from becoming chronic.

"The acid test of an international private medical insurance plan is whether it delivers when the chips are down."

For further information, go to www.interglobalpmi.com