Actual cases

This practical example was published in the online journal of the IPV, Industrie-Pensions-Verein e.V. 02-12 edition (industry pension association):

One often only realises how far-reaching mistakes can be once they have actually happened. This was also the case for Richard Thiele (name altered). The 78-year-old was hospitalised for acute brain haemorrhage. He was treated immediately but his half-sided paralysis and speech disorders called for long-term therapy.

An everyday accident abroad can quickly become a major problem when medical care is only guaranteed in the home country.

The emergency response centre receives a call from a travel guide: one of her customers, an 85-year-old-man, has slipped while taking a shower that morning, suffering an awkward femoral neck fracture. She has already taken him to a clinic, where he is to undergo surgery.

Anyone who has experienced the helplessness of having an accident in a foreign country will appreciate the benefits of an insurance organisation's contact network.

"Please help me! My son Mirko has had a motorcycling accident in the north-east of Thailand, near the border with Laos. He is several injured and I don't know exactly where he is..." The mother is desperate. The last time she spoke to him, the mobile phone connection was cut off and since then she hasn't been able to contact him. 

Exotic travel destinations are very tempting. Travel can be virtually carefree when you can rely on help from home.

almeda receives a call from a small island off the coast of Panama. Karin S. Has been suffering from ear pains for several days. The local doctor has prescribed her antibiotics but the pains have been getting more intense. She also has a fever and complains of a stiff neck.

London attracted more international visitors than usual during the 2012 Olympics. However, most travellers were not aware of the fact that public hospitals in the British capital are frequently overstretched anyway - and this situation was exacerbated by the mass onslaught of tourists during the Olympic Games. Far removed from the sporting highlights of the Games, this sometimes resulted in a race against time unnoticed by the media yet highly dramatic for those involved.