By Cecilia Okoth – New Vision
As the tourism industry becomes highly competitive, Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI) in partnership with AMREF flying doctors have introduced an air ambulance insurance cover in Uganda.
According to Ezra Rubanda, the acting secretary general UNCCI, the insurance cover code named Maisha air ambulance scheme will bring professional and affordable air ambulance service to individuals, corporates and the tourist industry.
“International Chief Executive Officers of big companies have always wanted to come and visit our tourist sites but when they find out there are no air evacuation services, they back out,” Rubanda said during the launch at a breakfast meeting in Kampala Thursday.
Rubanda said that with the introduction of this service into the tourism sector, anticipated profits will increase by 15percent next year and even more in the future and also accord the tourists’ safety.
“Currently, the ambulances available are attached to hospitals. But we want to be able to rescue tourists who might get stuck in bushes,” he added.
Bettina Vadera, the CEO AMREF Flying Doctors said Maisha will provide quality and affordable medical evacuation services in the Eastern Africa region including Burundi, Ethiopia Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zanzibar.
The prices of an individual, she said range from USD 30 (sh100, 000) to USD110 (sh385, 000).
Jacob Onama Ochen, a travel and logistics consultant at Trans-Nile Tours Travel and Logistics Ltd said tourists are mostly faced with the challenge of long travel time to the national parks as most of the roads are impassable.
He said they also experience fatigue when tracking gorillas because of the high altitude hence the need for air evacuations in case of emergencies.
