Is MARS and Med-Jet the same...Does MARS have a web site???

Mike

Basically, MARS gets you out of the bush to a Trauma Center and Medjet takes you home once you are stable enough to survive the trip.



MARS is based in Zimbabwe and uses prop planes and standard motor vehicle based ambulances to evacuate patients.



Medjet is a USA based company that flies emergency room equipped intercontinental jets. They coordinate the evacuation from remote locations to regional Trauma Centers through companies such as MARS and Flying Doctors.

Thanks for the info.
JCN

So do I need both MARS and MEDJET to be safe?

I have tried to convince all of my friends that travel to get Medjet. We have the family plan and I think it is one of the best programs available.

I'll put it this way. If you have to be medically evacuated from any foreign hospital (or domestic), Medjet is most likely the one that will fly you. If you are not on the program, expect to spend a minimum of $15,000. Odds are very great that your medical insurance does not cover this cost. I don't know of one that does. If you are on the Medjet program the cost will be $0.

A former director of our company was in advanced stages of cancer. Actually, it advanced on him almost overnight. He was in Florida and needed to be taken back to his home state. No airline would take him and he wouldn't have survived an ambulance trip. Medjet was the only alternative. It cost him in excess of $20,000. Seemed kind of expensive from Florida, but he was in real bad shape. A mutual friend of ours called me after he heard the story and signed he and his wife up for the service. I tried to convince him two years earlier when we were in Barcelona. This convinced him.

There is almost no fine print with the Medjet service. I could pay the premiums for the next 50 years and it would cost me the same as one $15,000 evacuation. It like carrying a good spare tire on a cross country trip. If you have it, you won't get a flat.

While I was in Zim in February, I heard a couple of horror stories about MARS' readiness to evacuate an injured person. In one incident, their slow response was blamed for the death of a PH that was wounded by his client. Of course there are two sides to every story, but I think you have to question their capabilities in light of the situation in Zim, ie; limited fuel supplies, access to spares, you name it. I don't know if an individual here can subscribe to MARS, but I understand that most reputable Zim operators are subscribers for the use of their staff and clients. I definitely agree that membership with MedJet is a good idea.

Holly and I have a family Medjet membership. Like my American Express Card, I wouldn't leave home without it!

500grains; the answer is no, you don't need to join both Medjet and MARS. If you have a Medjet membership they will arrange your evacuation through affiliated companies to a major Hospital or Trauma Center. A quote from the FAQ page on their website:

"How do you transport people from remote locations?"

"MEDJET ASSISTANCE has a network of authorized affiliate air medical providers throughout the world. Many of these have specialized capabilities allowing them access to more remote areas. MEDJET ASSISTANCE will supervise the entire process from start to finish."

That said, they cannot guarantee the performance of these affiliated companies.

You only need to be more than 150 miles from home for the Medjet policy to be effective, so it can be used at home as well as overseas. For $295.00 per year for a family membership it's the best deal out there!

Mark, thanks. I will join.

I have been a Med Jet member for years.

Almost needed it in Cape Town this past April, as a car ran a red light, and nearly hit me.

I have a friend that died in Canada last summer, and Med Jet handled everything right to the funeral home.