CEGA, whose services are accessed either directly or via corporate travel insurance policies, reports that China, the Gulf and the wider Middle East top the list of destinations about which travel advice is being sought, together with Africa, Latin America and India. But demand is coming from every part of the world.
Organisations deploying staff overseas are requesting pre-travel medical advice across a wider geographical area than ever before, to mitigate global risk and meet duty of care obligations. The news comes from CEGA, the emergency assistance, risk and claims management provider.
CEGA, whose services are accessed either directly or via corporate travel insurance policies, reports that China, the Gulf and the wider Middle East top the list of destinations about which travel advice is being sought, together with Africa, Latin America and India. But demand is coming from every part of the world.
The provider has seen enquiries rise from all employer sectors over the last 12 months – including oil and gas, international corporations, media, charities and government departments. Many operate in remote and hostile environments.
“We encourage clients to anticipate risk before a deployment overseas and help them to put in place the appropriate equipment and procedures to mitigate this,” says Jonathan Brown, Senior Risk Research Analyst at CEGA. “The availability and accessibility of medical care, evacuation options and pre-travel medical screening results (especially for vulnerable staff) are just some of the factors that can have an impact on the wellbeing of employees abroad.
“We’ve also seen a spike in requests for more detailed pre-deployment reports over the last year, from countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea – as a result of the Ebola outbreak,” says Brown. He adds that India, Canada, Alaska and South America are amongst other destinations also showing demand for in-depth pre-deployment reports.
“This growing international appetite for pre-travel advice has seen us increasing both the scope and availability of our provision,” concludes Brown, who cites repatriations from challenging locations, medical and security awareness courses, and safety advice for specific activities such as wilderness expeditions amongst CEGA’s niche capabilities.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
