In this exclusive iPMI Magazine interview, Christopher Knight, CEO, iPMI Magazine, met with Abhijeet Singh Sachdev, CEO of AMA Global Assistance. They discussed in detail the rich history of the business including service areas and geographical focus, plus how the market has weathered the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Please introduce yourself and background in the international medical insurance and assistance market:

Abhijeet Singh Sachdev. I have been in the Healthcare industry for about 2 decades. My interests and investments within the Healthcare sphere which adds to the background arise from owning and operating hospitals and clinics to the TPA side of administration of IPMIs. Being a family run office at the end of the day we established ourselves since 1970 and this also means we bring in a plethora of experience and pedigree along the way.

You are the CEO of AMA Global Assistance. Can you walk us through the history of the business?

Like I briefly mentioned earlier our history is rich. Being one of the pioneers – AMA Global prior to its demerger from PRIVAT EMERGENCY RESCUE in the 1970s was assisting many travellers – travelling by road via the Europe- Istanbul – India route. Our days of providing Assistance to the travellers started prior to travel insurance being a mainstream product or program. The journey has been an amazing one with from a total analogue world to a total digital world.

Typically speaking, who are your customers?

Our focus remains with General insurers and corporations. We also work alongside our Assistance partners and thank everyone for their immense support and trust in us over the years. There is also a focus on some niche Government business and accounts that we cater too.

Which assistance solutions can AMA Global Assistance provide?

We are regional leaders in Travel and Health. That has been our forte and we remain highly focused on what we do in a qualitative manner over the years since the 1970s. Our clients know of that and speak well of us. That’s why we still remain the largest independent regional player. Many have come and gone or merged or acquired. We still stand strong and highly focused in our area of domain expertise.

Geographically speaking, which markets does AMA Global Assistance focus on, and why?

Our prime Focus remains South Asia and the Middle East along with Southeast Asia.

COVID-19 had an unprecedented impact on the global travel market. What does the future of global travel look like?

COVID-19 was a great test of times. The global travel market did come to a standstill and I personally certainly hope such a scenario should not happen again as many were firms were deeply impacted by it in a business sense. Some did go under. The travel market will and always come with its set of risks and rules. COVID-19 was an extraordinary situation so it’s a question of probabilities.

Are Governments and Organisations prepared for the next pandemic or global catastrophe?

I’d certainly say with all certainty the Indian government under Prime Minister Modi did an excellent job. The challenge arises from within the Governments – elected leaders who do not believe in policies the United Nations not being able to act at all levels. The global system needs to be adapted to these new challenges. On the contrary technology helped deploy the COVID-19 vaccine at a lighting speed which was unheard off. I am an optimist and think that humanity has the ability to manage well during a crisis. Governments should facilitate and ensure there are no blocks.

AMA Global Assistance has a focus on technology. How can assistance companies and insurers leverage the power of tech to improve the standard of care and reduce the bottom line?

Certainly a lot boils down to technology. The use of technology. Our Group operates a technology business for the Travel and Health industry under the brand of MedinyX Technologies. It is a market leader is some aspects. However, the point is if businesses are data driven and you have the ability to analyse data in multiple ways from multiple perspectives certain you can implement and be smart to manage things in a better format. Insurers do need the knowledge and know-how of specialist operators that can bridge those gaps.

If you could ask an insurer any question, what would it be?

Well we have lot of niche programs and differ from the mainstream players. We should have a chat!

As we return to travel in 2022, what are the major risks travellers and organisations are facing?

Well, we’ve seen and survived a Global Financial crisis, we’ve seen and survived terror attacks, We’ve seen and survived a nasty Pandemic. Need I say more?

Finally: if you could live anywhere in the world, on land or at sea, where would it be?

In my Private Forest Villa in the Himalayas tucked away in its cosiness.

Globality Health is proud to welcome the appointment of experienced senior operations manager, Ronald Pritchard, as Head of Network Management. His mission is to optimize working relationships with partners and the medical provider network, with special emphasis on operational and financial efficiency. He joined Globality Health 4th April, 2016.

Ronald’s impressive experience in the international healthcare industry extends over 18 years in Assistance, Claims and Network Management. He joins Globality Health after steering the global medical network strategy at a leading international healthcare insurer.

Previous experience was as an independent consultant for a number of blue chip domestic and international PMI insurers. His responsibilities included conducting reviews of claims processes, medical network management and distribution.

Ronald will also focus on meeting strategic goals by identifying and building clear objectives for the Globality Health medical network.

Pacific Cross International understand that when you live abroad or travel overseas, the simplest task can become a huge challenge. To find the right word is always a moment of distress and communication is critical, especially in the golden hour. The Pacific Cross International language tips info graphic will help you to stay calm in an emergency situation.

Pacific Cross International brings over 65 years of experience to the health and travel insurance industry in Asia providing health insurance to over 75,000+ people, representing 57 nationalities living in 43 countries. In 2014 the group provided travel insurance for 2,642,514 travel days for over 200,000+ people.

Pacific Cross International understand that when you live abroad or travel overseas, the simplest task can become a huge challenge. To find the right word is always a moment of distress and communication is critical, especially in the golden hour. The Pacific Cross International language tips info graphic will help you to stay calm in an emergency situation.

Click here to view info graphic

Pacific Cross International brings over 65 years of experience to the health and travel insurance industry in Asia providing health insurance to over 75,000+ people, representing 57 nationalities living in 43 countries. In 2014 the group provided travel insurance for 2,642,514 travel days for over 200,000+ people.

Allianz Global Assistance UK has announced the appointment of marketing specialist Kate Walker, to a new position leading Innovation Development, within the dedicated Strategic Marketing and Innovations Team.

Reporting to Regional Strategic Marketing and Innovations Director for Allianz Global Assistance across Northern Europe, Rene Vermeule, Kate is responsible for driving UK innovations across the business, predominantly focusing on the home, motor and health insurance and assistance arena.

CEO of Allianz Global Assistance UK Serge Corel commented, "New technology and changing customer needs, as well as the evolution of new business models, increases the need for rapid change and adaptation of products and services to ensure we are always able to provide the best solutions. A dedicated expert to manage innovations, from research and market monitoring to creating proposals for new solutions, is the best way to ensure we are able to remain ahead of the competition. Kate's experience of B2B marketing within the insurance industry, and experience in new business and proposition development, means she is perfectly placed to take up this vital role within the Strategic Marketing and Innovations Team."

Kate added, "I am delighted to take on this exciting new role to explore new opportunities to transform our motor, home and health customer service offerings now and in the future.   I also have the opportunity to look at entering new markets that will support the future needs of our clients, placing Allianz Global Assistance worldwide at the forefront of innovation and development. That's exciting."

As part of the Allianz group, Kate will be drawing upon the successes of other business units across the globe to both create new products and solutions, and improve existing offerings to meet the changing needs of the UK market. The new role is a key investment for Allianz Global Assistance, demonstrating its commitment to providing industry leading solutions for their clients and their customers

Kate's previous roles include Global Propositions Design Lead at Bupa Global, as well as various marketing roles for insurers such as Bupa International, RSA Insurance Group and Norwich Union (now Aviva).  

TAA is delighted to announce the appointment of Julia Forsthuber as its new head of TAA Medical Assistance.

Ms Forsthuber, who joined the company in February 2016, will oversee TAA’s provision of selected medical assistance services in the Alpine region. Ms Forsthuber is an industry expert, having managed operations and human resources at one of Austria’s leading assistance companies for over 15 years. Her addition to TAA ensures that the highest levels of medical assistance services are maintained for our clients.

"My vision is that TAA Medical Assistance becomes a single point of contact for a comprehensive range of personalized medical assistance services in the Alpine region. I am excited to join the TAA team and look forward to further improving service levels for our clients and to an expansion of new business activities” said Ms Forsthuber.

TAA Medical Assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to deal with client requests and enquiries.

International Assistance Group (IAG), the world’s largest alliance of independent assistance companies recently accredited Apollo Hospitals Group as Preferred Provider for all clients in need of emergency medical care in India.  

As India’s first corporate hospital, the Apollo Hospitals Group has a robust presence across the healthcare spectrum and has emerged as one of the foremost integrated healthcare providers in Asia.

Starting in 1983 with a 150-bed hospital, the Group now operates 9,200 beds across 64 hospitals and has the distinction of receiving the country’s first Joint Commission International (JCI) Accreditation in 2005 and this year the company has been accredited as Preferred Provider Hospital for International Assistance Group (IAG).

The Group’s legacy of ‘touching lives’ stems from the four pillars of their philosophy – excellence, expertise, empathy and innovation. It has touched the lives of over 45 million patients from 121 countries. This focus on quality has become one of the group’s strongest credentials. It is the one of the building blocks in the trust of Apollo brand.

“We are honored to count with five Apollo Hospitals (in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and New Delhi), which are now accredited as the IAG Preferred Providers in India. Over the past years we have seen an increase in tourism in India; in consequence our clients need medical services that adhere to the highest international standards. Apollo Hospitals has proven to be the healthcare system in India that our Partners can rely on,” mentioned Cécile Hermetz, General Manager, International Assistance Group.

Apollo has set up an International Patient Services Division to ensure that the experience of overseas patients is safe, comfortable and hassle-free. Apollo’s International Patient Services offer a host of additional services such as: airport pick-up & transportation, accommodation, direct admission arrangements, scheduling of appointments, language assistance, liaison services with insurance companies and travel related assistance.

The Group has dedicated Centers of Excellence for several key specialties. They are unique and state of the art facilities spread across several of the Apollo hospital location and each Centre of Excellence stands out as a citadel of quality.

Apollo considers as their prime responsibility to provide high quality clinical care to all patients, putting the patient at the core of their operations. The Group has developed robust quality standards, used expert diagnoses and treatment plans and enhanced infection and safety protocols to render patients the most appropriate treatment. Centers of Excellence include: Heart Institutes, Cancer Institutes, Spine Surgery, Institute of Neurosciences, Critical Care, Institute of Robotic Surgery, Institute of Orthopedics, Institutes of Transplant, Nephrology & Urology, Institutes of Gastroenterology, Institutes of Robotic Surgery, Preventive Medicine, and Institute of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Technology driven

At Apollo, healthcare systems leverage technology to build integrated healthcare delivery models, which facilitate seamless electronic medical records, hospital Information systems and telemedicine-based health outreach initiatives, for enhanced access to medical care.

Another critical manifestation of widespread technology has been the amazing advancement in medical equipment and Apollo has repeatedly pioneered the introduction of such innovations in India – Robotics, Cyberknife, Novalis TX, 320 Slice CT Scanner, TrueBeam, PET Suite, Proton Beam.

International Assistance Group is proud and pleased that its network of Partners is able to rely on the excellence of Apollo Hospitals, a pioneer of modern day emergency care in India.