Are you medically prepared for your holiday?

For those who are planning to travel during the festive season, below is a handy list of essential medical items to pack to ensure you are prepared for your holiday, courtesy of the Resolution Health Medical Scheme.

• First aid kit
Having a well-stocked first aid kit will go a long way to ensuring you have a happy, healthy holiday. If you already have a first aid kit, go through it to check whether any of the medicines and ointments have expired and restock as necessary.

Over-the-counter medicines, including paracetamol, burns ointment, antihistamines, treatments for insect stings, antacids and rehydration remedies may prove very valuable if illness strikes while you are away from home. Sterile latex gloves, dressings, plasters, and disinfectant may save the day if an emergency should arise.

It is also a good idea to draw up a list with each family member’s medical information, including any allergies, medication and existing health conditions. Emergency contact numbers and medical scheme membership numbers should also be included as a precaution. Keep a copy of this information handy, either in the glove compartment of your car or in the first aid kit – or both.

• Sufficient quantities of prescribed medications
When on holiday, our daily routines may be different to those of our working lives, but this does not mean that we no longer need to take daily prescribed medication.

Ensure that you fill prescriptions before you travel and don’t, under any circumstances, take a ‘holiday’ from prescribed medicines.
People taking chronic medications, in particular, must stick to their medicine schedule as this is the best way to manage their long-term health and reduce the chances of an unpleasant health event marring their well-deserved holiday.

• Emergency services stickers on your vehicle
It is always best to be prepared for worst-case scenarios, and this includes ensuring that your vehicle is equipped with a spare tyre, warning triangle and a few basic tools.

One simple precaution that should not be overlooked is emergency medical services stickers on your vehicle. If you were to be involved in a motor vehicle accident, people on the scene could identify the correct providers to assist you, ensuring the quickest, best-quality care available.

• Your medical scheme membership card
We do not like to contemplate the possibility that it may prove necessary, but it is always better to be prepared in case of illness or accident while travelling. It is therefore essential that you keep your medical scheme membership card, which is your passport to accessing your healthcare cover benefits, with you at all times – whether you are travelling or not.

It might be a good idea to programme your medical aid’s call centre number into your cell phone and have it written out on a piece of paper so that you will be able to get in touch with them if you have a question about your benefits or need authorisation for treatment.

Whether you are heading to the beach, travelling to visit family or simply relaxing at home this festive season, ensure that you are prepared for all eventualities.

• Source: Resolution Health Medical Scheme