Urgent medical evacuation to Morocco: what are the steps, from the first call to admission?

Step 1: stabilise the patient on site

Respiratory distress, shock, coma, haemorrhage, seizures: these situations are first a matter for the emergency services and the nearest hospital. Transport does not replace resuscitation; it continues it. A patient too unstable to tolerate the journey is described as unfit for transport: in that case care continues on site and the possibility of transfer is reassessed regularly.

Step 2: send recent medical information

The team assessing the transfer needs today’s information, not an old file. A short sheet, written by the doctor caring for the patient, contains the essentials:

• identity, age, approximate weight and the exact location of the patient;
• the diagnosis or main working diagnosis and the reason for transfer;
• recent vital signs: blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, level of consciousness;
• current support: oxygen and flow rate, ventilation, infusions, medicines given;
• allergies, significant medical history and usual treatments;
• key results: blood tests, imaging, ECG;
• the name and phone number of the doctor who can be reached on site.

Photos of reports are useful in an emergency, provided they are legible and dated. The full imaging files can follow.

Step 3: assess whether transport is possible

Using this information, and often a conversation with the doctor on site, a doctor assesses whether the patient can travel, under what conditions and with what escort. The key questions concern respiratory and circulatory stability, the risk of deterioration during the journey, oxygen requirements and the constraints of cabin altitude. This assessment determines the means of transport: escorted commercial flight, stretcher or air ambulance.

Step 4: obtain acceptance from the receiving team

A transfer never leaves for an uncertain destination. The receiving department must accept the patient, know their condition and reserve the level of care required, for example an intensive care bed or an operating theatre. The doctor receiving the patient must be identified. This confirmation is one of the most important safety guarantees of the whole process.

Step 5: clarify funding

In parallel, the family or the paying body receives the estimate for transport and care. For an insurer or a public body, prior approval must be obtained, in writing if possible. In an emergency, these exchanges take place at the same time as the medical assessment, so as not to add unnecessary delay.

Step 6: prepare the travel documents

A valid passport for the patient and the companion, entry requirements for Morocco according to nationality, any permissions for a minor: these points hold up a transfer more often than medical questions. They should be checked from the very first contact. Entry requirements for Morocco depend on nationality and change over time: they should be checked on the official websites of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs or with the Moroccan embassy.

Step 7: organise bed-to-bed transport

Transport is planned bed to bed: ambulance to the airport, flight, ambulance on arrival, direct admission to the department. The transport team plans the equipment, enough oxygen, medicines and back-up solutions. The arrival time is communicated to the receiving department.

Step 8: ensure handover between teams

At each relay, a verbal and written handover describes the patient’s condition, events during the journey and treatments given. The medical documents travel with the patient. On arrival, the receiving team reassesses the patient and decides on the next steps of care; the family is kept informed.

What most often delays an urgent transfer

• an incomplete or out-of-date medical file;
• no medical contact who can be reached on site;
• an expired passport or entry requirements that have not been checked;
• funding approval not obtained;
• a deterioration in the patient’s condition that requires departure to be postponed.

Frequently asked questions