If accompanying a Think Pacific Volunteer to a Medical Centre/Hospital for their medical consultation and / or treatment, it is important to follow the steps below. This will ensure our duty of care is maintained, and the volunteer may complete the necessary steps for treatment and insurance cover.
Step 1: Inform Project Coordinator
Inform your Project Coordinator when 30 minutes from the Hospital, and upon arrival.
Step 2: Volunteer Medical File
On arrival the volunteer shall need to open a medical file with the medical facility the registration form should be available at the reception desk.
Step 3: Insurance Case File – Insurance Provider
Once the medical file has been completed with the hospital, the volunteer should open a case file with their insurance provider as soon as possible.
In most cases insurance will be Pay & Claim so opening a file immediately may not be a priority for the volunteer. A case file should be opened within 24 hours of seeking medical treatment (TP highly recommends this even if not claiming so the insurance is aware of the situation if any further claims were to arise). The volunteer will require evidence of ALL receipts for expenses they wish to claim on, as well as any medical notes/reports provided.
If appropriate depending on the volunteer’s condition, this can be done at the hospital, in emergency circumstances with volunteers coming to Suva this responsibility will be passed onto the Health Support team.
NB: Important to remind volunteers to have all their insurance documentation with them when travelling for medical consultation or check up.
Step 4: Medical Consultation
The volunteer shall then have their medical consultation with a doctor at the Medical Centre/Hospital. There is some key information required for our duty of care and the volunteers’ insurance. Information that MUST be obtained from the Doctor in a written note or typed report:
- Illness or Injury
- Date it began / progression
- Current Signs or Symptoms
- Recommended treatment from the Doctor eg antibiotics / admittance / scans / surgery
- Timeframe for review and recovery
- *Is further review required? Can the volunteer return to their project in rural Fiji for recovery? // if they should remain in Suva/ Urban Environment for that period of time. This last point can be verbally confirmed if the doctor is uncomfortable putting it in writing.
NB: As typed medical reports can often take time and have a cost associated, ask the doctor if they may be able to complete a handwritten medical certificate immediately, so that it may be forwarded to the insurance provider for their approval for cover of costs associated.
Step 5: Volunteer Treatment & Care
In most cases volunteers usually just require a prescription & a period of rest. If the volunteer requires more extensive treatment (e.g. IV, X-ray, ultrasound scans) then it is even more vital to contact the insurance company to confirm they are approved for cover for that particular injury or illness and that they can proceed with all care and treatment required on a ‘pay and claim’ basis.
If the volunteer wishes to proceed with treatments prior to the approval from the insurance company, advise that this is at their own risk in terms of assurance that any costs incurred shall be refunded.
NB: As above, if a Volunteer’s case is deemed ‘High Risk’ by the Doctor, with a threat of loss of life, Think Pacific Project Manager’s can act as ‘Guarantors’ for the volunteer and may sign on their behalf for admittance immediately for treatment.
Step 6: Scanning & Sharing Medical Documentation
Checklist (leaving doctors):
- Volunteers Prescription (see example in appendix)
- If admitted to hospital as inpatient – a summary of treatments received
- Volunteers Medical Note/Report (see example in appendix)
- Receipts for all costs incurred
- Travel Insurance Contacted & Open Case File number obtained (highly recommended)
- Leader must take photos (ask volunteer permission) of all documents listed above and send these to their Project Coordinator.
Photos of the above documents should be emailed over to your Project Coordinator and the volunteers insurance provider. The volunteer should send this to their insurance (with assistance from TP if necessary). Once sent, it can be beneficial to follow up with a call to ensure that the report has been received and if they can advise on cover ASAP. Once the volunteer has an Insurance Case File Number – send this to PC.