AXA Health is hard to contact

My husband and I have worked in the Caribbean during the winer for the last 8 years. One night at the end of March 2009 while walking down a street on the Caribbean island of St Barths the retina of my left eye detached. I lost the sight in that eye overnight. Early the next (Sunday) morning I saw a doctor who stated that I should seek immediate assistance but that there was none either on St Barths or the larger island St Maarten as the only qualified person was away sailing for 2 weeks. I should go ‘somewhere else’ for help.

I telephoned the AXA international emergency telephone number. There was a recorded message requesting that I use a different number. With failing sight and body going into shock I did not need to find pen, paper and phone again on an international line. The given number was the national line and I had to hold for some time. The agent when told of my condition said that it didn’t sound nice. That she could authorise treatment but that there was no-one available for repatriation advice. ’Its Sunday.’ Do medical emergencies take note of this?

Alone, I had an horrendous journey back to Paris where I was advised to travel no further but to get treatment as every part of the journey increased the risk of my losing my sight permanently. My brother contacted AXA to authorise treatment in Paris which they did. They then rang me and asked why I had not come flown back flat with a doctor in attendance as that that is what they would have arranged. Only, they did not.

By the time I reached Paris I had no phone, no credit and no cash. With the help of my brother these were organised and he made an appointment with a good eye doctor who took over and I could at last just collapse and be ill without stress.