Owning a summer home on a beautiful island is a dream. However, if you are not a local, that dream can become a nightmare when medical intervention is required due to a diving accident. Even if your home country has universal health care, that won’t help you when you’re on a remote island.
A 60-year-old, Canadian national had a vacation home in Placencia, Belize and was out diving. After some time, she presented with various symptoms such as weakness in the lower extremities, paresthesia, tremor, loss of balance and stability, and vertigo. It was clear she required treatment at a hyperbaric facility and one was not available in Belize. The diver was a regular member of the DiveAssure Association.
DiveSafe – Evacuation and Hyperbaric Chamber in Mexico
The diver was evacuated from Belize to Playa del Carmen, Mexico so she could receive the necessary treatment at the nearest local hospital with a working hyperbaric chamber. There were quite a few bureaucratic issues that had to be addressed going from border to border. This was during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic and border crossings were fraught with tensions, border closures and limitations on movement. Procedures were handled correctly and she arrived safely whereby she could receive immediate recompression treatment.
This diver ended up needing a vast amount of hyperbaric chamber treatments due to various medical complications along the way, she also ended up experiencing numbness in half her body, loss of feeling, partial paralysis and sudden relapses and had to go back in for further treatments. She required a total of 7 hyperbaric chamber treatments and a long tedious hospital stay in a foreign country.
All’s Well That Ends Well
The diver did manage to make a full recovery. As a DiveAssure member with DiveSafe coverage she was eligible for evacuation, chamber treatments, and hospitalization. DiveAssure covered the medical and evacuation bills and paid the facility directly at no additional cost to the injured diver. She returned home to Canada intact ready to live on to tell her tale.
We Recommend Diving Accident Programs
By purchasing diving accident coverage, even on a short-term basis, for a reasonable price, the member saved herself a $43,000 bill. Planning your dives ahead of time is an important safety precaution. Making sure you have diving accident coverage is an important part of your safety plan.
For more information on joining the DiveAssure Association go to www.diveassure.com.