Medical Travel Support
When travel involves medical complexity
When a traveller has significant medical needs, recovering from a serious illness or injury, or requires ongoing clinical care during travel, the journey must be planned with the same attention given to any other aspect of their healthcare.
Portage provides experienced medical professionals who accompany clients on commercial flights, ensuring they receive appropriate care while travelling safely to their destination.
Who this service is for
Medical Travel Support is intended for travellers whose medical condition requires clinical expertise during the journey.
This may include people who:
Are returning home after hospitalization.
Require oxygen or specialized medical equipment.
Have recently experienced a stroke or other neurological event.
Need medication administration or ongoing clinical monitoring.
Have complex medical conditions that require experienced clinical judgement.
Are travelling between hospitals, rehabilitation centres, or long-term care facilities.
Are returning home from another province or another country following illness or injury.
Every traveller is individually assessed to determine whether commercial air travel is appropriate and what level of clinical support is required.
More than a medical escort
Providing medical care on an aircraft involves much more than accompanying a patient.
Our team considers the entire journey—from the bedside to the final destination.
This includes reviewing medical information, coordinating with healthcare providers, planning for the airline environment, arranging required equipment, and preparing for situations that could arise during travel.
The goal is to reduce risk before the journey begins, not simply respond to problems after they occur.
Experienced clinicians
Medical Travel Support is delivered by licensed healthcare professionals, including registered nurses and advanced care paramedics with experience caring for medically complex patients.
When appropriate, physician oversight is available to assist with more complex clinical situations and support travel planning.
We work closely with hospitals, discharge planners, insurers, assistance companies, case managers, and families to ensure everyone understands the travel plan before departure.
Commercial travel whenever appropriate
Many people assume that a medically complex traveller automatically requires an air ambulance.
In reality, many individuals can travel safely on a scheduled commercial flight with the appropriate planning, equipment, and clinical support.
When commercial travel is appropriate, it can often provide a safe, practical, and significantly more cost-effective alternative to air ambulance transport.
If commercial travel is not appropriate, we will say so.
Medical repatriation
Returning someone home following illness or injury is one of the most common reasons clients contact us.
Whether the traveller is returning from another province, another country, or a specialized treatment centre, we coordinate the clinical and logistical aspects of the journey so they can travel safely to their destination.
Medical repatriation is one part of our broader Medical Travel Support service.
Planned carefully. Delivered professionally.
Every journey begins with a clinical assessment of the traveller's needs.
From there, we determine the appropriate level of support, coordinate the necessary logistics, communicate with everyone involved, and remain with the traveller throughout the journey.
Because when healthcare continues beyond the hospital, getting there safely is part of the treatment.