True Stories library

Little did Hermann Marquard know when he left his mechanical engineering firm in Germany for a business trip to Asia in November, that on the 23rd of that same month he would require hospitalisation in Hô Chi Minh City.  

Little did he know then how fortunate he was to be travelling under the protection of Business Travel Assist. It was 5:30 in the morning. The local medical staff suspected a heart attack, but no one at the time knew how serious it was. 

A Mondial Assistance co-ordinator notified Dr. Robl, the local assistance physician, who in turn quickly established contact with the hospital’s on-duty doctor. Mr. Marquard received emergency care and was stabilised.

But the situation took a turn for the worse when it became apparent that he needed a heart catheter, a procedure that could not be done in Hô Chi Minh City. The next day he was successfully transferred via air ambulance to a private clinic in Bangkok, which had been notified in advance and proceeded with examinations immediately upon his arrival. 

The diagnosis was critical. Mr. Marquard needed bypass surgery at once. Time was of the essence and despite his condition, it was decided to fly him back to Germany to be treated in a special heart clinic in Berlin. Fortunately, Business Travel Assist covered all expenses accumulated in Hô Chi Minh City and Bangkok but also the full repatriation, and all costs still to come.

Dr. Robl sent a detailed analysis of the patient’s condition to the Medical Director in Berlin, and arranged for Mr. Marquard to be accompanied during the long return flight from Bangkok by an Assistance air physician on a fully equipped medical aircraft.

On 29 November, they arrived safely in Berlin, where Mr. Marquard was immediately admitted to the clinic’s intensive care unit and the bypass procedure was successfully carried out. His family, friends and employer all expressed immense relief, joy and gratitude.

Hans Schmidt was on one of his many overseas trips to Australia as a sales representative for his financial firm based in Frankfurt, Germany. His firm provides special funding and resource management solutions for Mining and Drilling companies. Australia was the first destination on his 3-week itinerary, which would ultimately bring him back through the Middle East and home to Germany.

As usual upon arrival, Mr. Schmidt picked up the rental car his company had reserved for him and began his long drive to Cairns, on the edge of a desert. Although he had been to Australia before, Mr. Schmidt was driving for the first time to a new mine in a region he had yet to discover.  He knew little about the terrain he was traversing or that is suffered from frequent flash floods.  So he thought nothing of it when it began to rain  heavily about 3:00 in the afternoon.  By 3:30 the road he had been driving vanished before his eyes. Mr. Schmidt was not harmed, but unfortunately, his rental vehicle had been swept into a ditch and was filling fast with water.  Fortunately he was travelling under the protection of Business Travel Assist.  Little did he know that without this protection, his trip would have quickly spiralled into a major catastrophe.

He managed to extricate himself from the vehicle and climb by foot to higher ground. Nothing but a river of what used to be desert terrain surrounded him. His cell phone, the only thing he managed to save, was in his pocket. It contained the emergency number of Mondial Assistance, his company’s provider of Travel Insurance and Assistance solutions. Mr. Schmidt watched helplessly as his luggage, containing all his personal affairs, working papers, official documents and his wallet, complete with credit cards and passport, were damaged beyond recognition.

Having received a single call from a very distressed business traveller from the middle of nowhere, Mondial Assistance’s dedicated Business Travel Assist coordinator set the wheels in motion for Mr. Schmidt’s rescue.

A towing company recovered the rental vehicle and what was left of his belongings, while Mr. Schmidt was picked up by a 4-wheel drive taxi and taken first to see his customer at the mine to explain what happened. He was then driven to a hotel to relax and recover from his ordeal.  Meanwhile, the BTA coordinator began the paperwork to obtain a new passport, credit cards and the minimum in personal affairs.

Thanks to Business Travel Assist, Mr. Schmidt was no more worse for the wear. He returned to see his customer, signed a new sales contract and was able to resume his business trip within 48 hours!