Medical Repatriation of COVID-19 Positive Patients in Vietnam

Overview

International SOS successfully repatriated two COVID-19 positive patients for a multinational electronics company from Vietnam to South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Service: Medical Repatriation
Location: Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam

Problem

Our client, a multinational electronics company established in HCMC, Vietnam, reached out to us to request medical repatriation. The request was for two employees who had tested positive for COVID-19 and needed repatriation to Seoul, South Korea via air ambulance. Due to the pandemic, there were several challenges while carrying out this repatriation such as approval from government agencies, closure of international borders, and the patients’ health condition.

Solution

Our HCMC and Seoul Assistance Centres cooperated closely after understanding the situation. The HCMC Assistance Centre shared the contact of the Department of Health and Ministry of Foreign Affairs with our client for them to request the necessary approval. The client obtained the approval from the government within three working days with the support and assistance of our experienced team. Meanwhile, our professionals supported the clients in discharging the patients from the hospital, arranging the ambulance, tracking the movement progress while maintaining communication with the relevant authorities and resolving the logistics issues that arose during the movement.

Impact

The patients were repatriated safely to their home country and successfully transferred to a designated local hospital to receive all the necessary medical treatments.