In an emergency how may your travel partner make a medical decision? Partner is not your wife and/or husband or a relative.
Is there a legal document that may be utilized?
Posted by
Seattle
908 posts
You can sign a power of attorney that speaks strictly to healthcare decisions and is for a specific period of time, but I don't know how much weight one might hold in a foreign country.
Posted by
Newburyport, MA
683 posts
You might contact the embassy of the country you will be visiting or the US State Dept (tho their info is often wrong). Remember that what works here often will not in another country bcuz, well, it's not HERE
Good luck and keep trying-- it is an important thing altho an unlikely need
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
805 posts
If you're worried, you might also consider investing in medical evacuation insurance.
Posted by
Freedonia
15061 posts
You could fill out a "medical directive" which tells health officials what to do in case you are incapable. Whether or not a foreign country will honor it, I don't know, but if you have a copy with you, they might.
If you are concerned, medical evacuation insurance is important, as well as the contact name and number of a relative in the US.
To really make it morbid...should you die, make sure your friend knows to call the U.S. Consulate first, and not the local police. Laws on moving bodies differs from country to country and the U.S. Consualte will know how to deal with the local officials.
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
805 posts
FYI, I'm 26 and in good health but I always buy evacuation insurance from MedJet Assist when I travel (http://www.medjetassist.com/). It's $225/year and although not cheap, if I ever needed to use it it would save a LOT of $ (medical evacuations routinely run well into five figures) and they actually allow one person to travel back with you as well.
Posted by
Columbus, OH, USA
208 posts
In response to David's info on MedJet Assist - its also valid if you're over (I think) 150 miles from home. Most evacuation insurance gets you to "an acceptable facility" and while that may be fine and dandy if you're in a superpower, we had it for Africa - where "acceptable" might be Nairobi. Not my particular definition of what is "acceptable."
MedJet will get you to the hospital of your choosing - not one they will choose.
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
805 posts
Bonnie, that's why I use them. If I ever needed it and was say in Europe they would be able to fly me back home to Portland or Seattle or whatever hospital my doctor thought was best.