Medical evacuation from Equatorial Guinea to Morocco: from Malabo or Bata, how do you prepare the transfer?

Malabo or Bata: an island and a mainland

Malabo and Bata each have an airport. For a patient in hospital in Bata or the mainland region, it is often better to consider departing from Bata rather than adding a crossing to the island. For a seriously ill patient, the safest means of transport and departure point are decided by the doctors and the transport operator; dedicated medical transport may be needed.

Documents often in Spanish

Spanish, French and Portuguese are the official languages, but medical reports are frequently written in Spanish. The teams in Morocco work in French and Arabic; a summary letter in French, or a translation of the main reports, speeds up the review of the file and avoids errors of interpretation. For the patient’s information and consent, a companion or interpreter who speaks French and Spanish is invaluable.

Time zone and malaria

Equatorial Guinea is on UTC+1, like Morocco for most of the year; during Ramadan, Morocco moves to UTC+0. Malaria is common in the country: a recent fever or antimalarial treatment must be reported in the file, and a fever in a patient who needs to travel calls for medical advice before departure.

The medical file to prepare

• a recent summary letter, preferably in French, with the reason for transfer;
• recent reports, dated, and a translation of the most important ones;
• the imaging files whenever possible;
• current treatments, with their generic names, and allergies.

Funding and entry into Morocco

The family, an insurer, an employer or a body may fund the care pathway, with prior approval obtained before departure; if the body requires documents in a specific language, this must be planned. Entry requirements for Morocco depend on nationality and change over time: they are checked with the competent Moroccan diplomatic mission or on the official websites of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Preparing the return

The discharge report is written in French; it helps to plan its translation into Spanish for the doctor who will provide follow-up. The patient leaves with prescriptions using international non-proprietary names, easier to find in local pharmacies than brand names, and a follow-up schedule.

Frequently asked questions