Glossary
Medical evacuation (évacuation médicale)
The emergency transport of a patient to the nearest suitable care facility, often by air ambulance, when the medical resources available on site are insufficient to treat their condition.
Medical evacuation takes place in an emergency, on the decision of the assistance medical team: the goal is to reach, as quickly as possible, a facility able to provide the specialised care needed, whether it is in the same country, a neighbouring one, or further away. It does not necessarily mean returning to the home country.
It differs from medical repatriation, which arranges the patient's return to their country of residence, generally once their condition is stabilised and continued care no longer requires the urgency of an evacuation. An evacuation can therefore precede a repatriation without the two being the same, and both are usually covered by a dedicated assistance contract or section rather than a standard health policy.
Example
A patient who suffers a serious accident in a region where local medical facilities are insufficient may be evacuated urgently, under medical escort, to the nearest suitable facility, before a possible repatriation is considered once they are stabilised.
Also searched as: medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) · air ambulance evacuation
To go further: Repatriation and assistance: what this cover includes