Social companionship
When you have an approval for a social companion, AZV gives your social companion a letter declaring that he (or she) is your official social companion. This letter can be used (for example) for the employer of the social companion.
Change of social companion
Some patients have to stay for a long period abroad, for example for 6 weeks or more. It is understandable that not all social companions can stay the entire period. Change of social companion is possible, although AZV doesn’t pay the travel ticket for a second (or more) social companion. In case you’re planning to switch your social companion, please inform our Medical Care Abroad Department. In that case, AZV can take that into account.
Medical companion
When your specialist believes that you need a medical companion, your specialist will indicate this on the petition. In general, your specialist will arrange this too. If AZV approves, the costs of a medical companion will be covered by AZV.
Financial contribution for patient
The daily allowance is as mentioned above.
Take notice! In case you stay shorter than expected, you’ll have to return the rest of the financial contribution to AZV through a bank transfer.
When you have to stay longer
It can happen that you will have to stay longer abroad. In that case, the specialist will sent your medical information to the medical advisor of AZV. In the countries where AZV works with a broker, the medical information will be send to the broker.
If the specialist abroad recommends a treatment that can be given in Aruba, AZV will bring you back to Aruba to follow treatment here. If AZV approves to stay longer abroad, then the financial contribution (daily allowance) will be prolonged.
Return to Aruba – Commercial flight
The hospital abroad sends regularly information to AZV. The moment you’re informed that your treatment is ready, you will have to contact the International Customer Service Department, for them to arrange your return travel. Your hospital abroad will also inform your specialist in Aruba upon the end of your treatment. Most of the time the return flight is via a commercial airline.
The International Customer Service Department or broker always arranges the return flight after having received the medical information. The medical information includes the confirmation that you’re ready to go home.
When there is no broker, you or your social companion can contact the Medical Care Abroad Department of AZV. Take note that the return flight will be arranged after having received the medical information.
Return to Aruba – Air Ambulance
In exceptional cases, when the specialist abroad indicates that you can return to Aruba by air ambulance, AZV will evaluate this first. In case an approval is being given for return via air ambulance, this will mean that the patient will have to wait till the next urgent case in Aruba occurs and that an air ambulance is ordered. This can take about 1 week. The moment the Air Ambulance arrives in Aruba; the patient will be transported to the Doctor Horacio Oduber Hospital.
Recommendation
After your arrival in Aruba, it is recommended to contact your specialist and family physician to inform them about your treatment that you just had abroad.
Passing away abroad
It can occur that you pass away during your treatment abroad. This is a sad and difficult situation, where your social companion has to arrange the official documents for the preparation and transportation of your body to Aruba. This is a process that can take a few days. To speed things up, your family can choose -as soon as possible- a funeral home in Aruba.
In case of death, AZV asks the social companion to arrange things as fast as possible and to comply with all requirements so that the body of the deceased can be transported fast to Aruba.
- AZV covers the costs of preparation and transportation of the deceased till the arrival at the airport in Aruba.
- The costs of the local transportation and the funeral are at the expense of the family of the deceased.
