Case Studies

On 7 January 2019, Central African country Gabon experienced an attempted military coup. A construction engineering client from China found himself in the middle of this. Until our travel risk team had notified him, he was unaware of this developing, dangerous situation.

In a crisis, without a system in place to track and communicate with travellers, it can be difficult to reach out to them. The case below highlights the issues faced by a security director during the 2019 Sri-Lanka terror attacks. Tracker fully leverages International SOS subscription so organisations can meet their Duty of Care obligations and comply with their business continuity, crisis and employee travel policies.

An executive working for a major consumer goods company was on a business trip in Chester, UK, when his throat increasingly became sore.

In July 2016, an organisation required employee evacuation from South Sudan after six days of confinement to protect themselves from armed conflicts occurring within the city. Immediate psychological and emotional support was provided to victims to help ensuring full recovery.

Every business needs to consider the health of its employees as part of its Duty of Care. RBS has been working with International SOS for some time to develop its Occupational Health delivery.

In Dakar, Senegal – a new-born was in urgent need of surgery for an acute condition. Any surgical treatment of a month-old baby is challenging – but this case was made significantly more so, in Africa.

An employee of Group Five, a leading African construction, concessions and manufacturing group, had been admitted to a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with malaria.

On-board a 17-man shipping vessel originating in Eastern Europe, en route to Japan, one of 16 mariners unexpectedly died. The vessel, which was carrying general cargo, interrupted its 4-week journey at a port in China to deal with the fatality.

A Swiss employee on assignment contacted one of our Assistance Centres as she was having difficulty coping with her new post in the Czech Republic.

A 56 year old British gentleman was on a Mediterranean holiday cruise with his wife when he started feeling unwell. Because the ship’s doctor became concerned that the patient’s symptoms were related to a cardiac problem, the patient and his wife were disembarked at the next port, a Corsican town called Ajaccio. He was admitted to the local public hospital and then moved by air ambulance to a private specialist unit in Marseilles on the mainland.

When your company does not have an adequate medical programme in place, costs can escalate along with increased employee sick time and lowered productivity.

International SOS supports organisations working in Ebola-affected countries. After two doctors were exposed to the virus while working for an NGO, we evacuated them to the Netherlands where they could access potentially life-saving medical support.

If you are unlucky enough to lose your passport while you are abroad, it can be time-consuming and stressful to get a replacement. We can often make things easier—by scheduling appointments with embassies, arranging translation, wiring emergency funds, and rebooking flights home.

On the evening of 15 July 2016, a faction of the Turkish military launched a failed military coup against the government of President Erdoğan. At least 294 people were killed and more than 1,500 were injured in clashes between opposing military factions, police and protesters.

On 14 January 2016, terrorists set off a series of explosions in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. A gun battle then ensued; injuring 20 people and killing 4. During and after the incident, we were able to provide our clients with essential updates and advice, sourced from our on-the-ground team of security experts.

The earthquake causes a tsunami – 12,000 die and 15,000 are missing. Roads, housing and communication networks destroyed. Fukushima nuclear power plant is struck; state of nuclear emergency is declared. Initial natural disaster widens and quickly becomes a medical-related crisis. Strong aftershocks and rolling blackouts leave millions without power.