Falling ill or getting injured abroad is worrying, but knowing what to do, and having insurance and a GHIC in place, makes it manageable. Acting calmly and using the right help gets you the care you need. This guide explains what to do if you get ill or injured abroad. It is general information, not medical advice, so seek professional medical help when needed and contact your insurer's assistance line for guidance specific to your situation.
Try not to panic
If you become ill or injured abroad, try to stay calm, as panicking makes it harder to think clearly and act. Healthcare is available in most destinations, and with insurance and a GHIC you have support to access and pay for it. Approaching the situation calmly, knowing that there are established ways to get help and that your preparations are there to support you, helps you make good decisions. A clear head lets you assess the problem and take the right steps to get appropriate care.
Judge how serious it is
Assess how serious the problem is, as this determines where to seek help: a minor ailment might be dealt with at a pharmacy, a non-urgent issue by a doctor, and a serious or life-threatening emergency needs the emergency services or a hospital. Judging the severity guides your response. Working out whether you are dealing with something minor, something needing a doctor, or a genuine emergency helps you go to the right place for help rather than over or under-reacting, getting appropriate care for the situation.
Where to get help
Know the options for care: pharmacies can advise on and treat minor ailments, doctors and clinics handle non-emergencies, and hospitals and emergency services deal with serious cases. Your accommodation or insurer can often point you to suitable local healthcare. Understanding the different sources of medical help and what each is for means you can seek care at the appropriate level. Knowing that a pharmacy, a doctor or a hospital may be the right choice depending on the problem helps you access care efficiently when unwell or injured abroad.
Use your GHIC and insurance
Use the protection you arranged: a GHIC for state healthcare in covered countries, and your travel insurance for the wider costs including private treatment and repatriation. Both have their role in getting and paying for care. Our guide on the GHIC card explains its cover. Drawing on both your GHIC, where it applies, and your travel insurance ensures you can access healthcare and are protected against the often high costs of treatment abroad, which is exactly why having both in place before you travel matters so much.
Contact your insurer's assistance line
Contact your travel insurer's emergency assistance line early, especially for anything significant, as they can advise on where to get treatment, arrange and authorise care, liaise with hospitals, and guide you through the process. They are there to help in exactly these situations. Our guide on whether you need travel insurance explains assistance. Phoning your insurer's assistance line for guidance and authorisation, rather than navigating a medical situation abroad alone, ensures you get support and that your treatment is handled correctly for any claim.
Know the emergency numbers
For serious or life-threatening situations, you need the local emergency number to summon help quickly, which differs by country. Knowing it in advance saves vital time in a crisis. Our guide on emergency numbers abroad explains who to call. Having the emergency numbers for your destination to hand, so you can call for an ambulance or other help immediately if needed, is essential preparation, as in a genuine emergency every moment counts and you do not want to be searching for the right number.
Keep receipts and records
For any treatment, keep all receipts, medical reports, prescriptions and records, as you will need them to claim on your travel insurance and as a record of your care. Good documentation is essential for reimbursement. Our guide on making a travel insurance claim explains what you need. Carefully keeping every document related to your illness or injury and its treatment means you have the evidence to support an insurance claim, ensuring you are reimbursed for covered costs rather than losing out for want of paperwork.
Getting medication
If you need medication, a pharmacy or doctor can help, though availability and rules differ from home, and you may need a local prescription. If you take regular medication and run short, seek advice on obtaining more. Our guide on taking medication abroad covers carrying enough. Knowing that you can usually obtain medication through local healthcare, while being aware that it may differ and require a prescription, helps you get what you need. Carrying enough of your own medication reduces the chance of having to source it abroad.
If repatriation is needed
In serious cases, you may need to be brought home for treatment, known as repatriation, which can be very expensive and is a key reason travel insurance matters, as the GHIC does not cover it. Your insurer's assistance team arranges this. Understanding that repatriation is a costly service covered by suitable travel insurance but not the GHIC, and that your insurer handles it, reassures you that even a serious situation requiring you to come home is provided for, provided you have appropriate insurance in place.
Help from the embassy
In a serious crisis, your country's embassy or consulate may offer assistance or advice, such as help contacting family or local services, though they do not pay medical bills or provide treatment. They are a source of support in difficult situations. Knowing that consular assistance exists for genuine emergencies, while understanding its limits, provides reassurance for the worst cases. The embassy can help in certain serious situations, but your insurance and the local healthcare system are your main routes to treatment and its costs.
Prevention and preparation
The best approach is preparation: travel with suitable insurance and a GHIC, carry your medication and emergency contacts, take sensible health precautions, and know how to get help. Our guide on staying safe abroad covers precautions. Preparing properly before you travel, so that if you do fall ill or get injured you have the cover, information and supplies to deal with it, turns a frightening situation into a manageable one. Good preparation is what makes coping with illness or injury abroad far less daunting.
Keep your companions informed
Make sure those travelling with you know about any health needs you have, where your insurance and emergency details are kept, and what to do if you become unwell, so they can help in an emergency. Shared knowledge makes a crisis easier to handle. Ensuring your companions are informed and know where to find your key information means that if you are unable to act for yourself, they can step in, which is a simple but valuable part of being prepared for illness or injury abroad.
In short
If you get ill or injured abroad, stay calm and judge how serious it is, seeking help from a pharmacy, doctor or hospital and the emergency services for serious cases. Use your GHIC and travel insurance, contact your insurer's assistance line early, and know the local emergency numbers. Keep all receipts and records for claims, and know that insurance covers repatriation while the embassy can help in a crisis. Prepare well beforehand. This is general information, not medical advice.
Explore more in our Health & Safety Abroad guides.