From Our Partners
Dan Keon | Vice President, Market Management, Allianz Global Assistance Canada
COVID-19 Case Study:
Injured Canadian Stuck in
Spain Brought Home Safely
A bucket-list trip to Spain was everything 79-year-old Petra* and her husband Roman* hoped
it would be until she suffered a hip fracture during one of their outings. After getting Petra to
the hospital, Roman contacted Allianz Global Assistance, who immediately stepped in to help
coordinate her care, obtain medical records, arrange direct billing, and more.
A week after her surgery, Petra was well enough to
travel back to Canada, and Allianz began arranging
for the couple to travel on a commercial flight with a
registered nurse (RN) to help care for Petra during the
trip. Following the announcement of a country-wide
lockdown due to COVID-19, the airline advised Allianz
that it could not enter Spain. The original itinerary was
cancelled, and the airline proposed a new one.
That same day, Allianz learned that the RN would
not be able to travel with Petra and Roman into
Canada. Canada, like Spain and many other
countries, had closed its borders to noncitizens.
After checking with several
other airlines, Allianz determined
that none had RNs with dual
citizenship who could accompany
the couple.
Allianz reached out to the
Canadian Embassy for support
and worked with the Allianz office
in Spain to continue the search for
a workable option. Allianz also began
arranging for an air ambulance to return
Petra and Roman to Canada, just in case.
By then, the hospital where Petra was being
treated was expressing concerns that she might
contract COVID-19 if she remained there, so she
was discharged from the hospital and Petra and her
husband waited at their hotel for a flight confirmation.
Meanwhile, Allianz learned that most air ambulance
providers were requiring proof of negative COVID-19
test results before they would transport a patient. Due
to Spanish regulations and the fact that Petra was no
longer in hospital, she was unable to have this test.
Allianz managed to locate an air ambulance provider
that didn’t require proof of negative COVID-19 test
results, but the flight was scheduled for two days after
the hotel where Petra and Roman were staying was to
close. Further, the next day, the air ambulance
company informed Allianz that it would not
be able to make the flight because the
crew would not be able to leave the
plane during stops for refuelling and
maintenance checks, or find safe
accommodations in the area.
Reaching out to air ambulance
providers once again, Allianz found
one that could pick up the couple;
however, they would need to make the
trip with another Allianz customer from
the United States. The other customer’s
spouse agreed to the request, and Allianz in
Canada and the U.S. worked together to finalize the
details.
The next day, Petra and Roman returned home.
When Allianz called to see how Petra was doing, the
couple confirmed that she was recovering well.
* Name has been changed to maintain confidentiality.
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