Members Recommend IAMAT Travel Health Services

"Thank you. This could not have come at a better time. Our son is scheduled to travel to Kampala next week (he works for UNICEF) and we were quite worried about the Ebola virus. Your article gives much needed peace of mind since he is not a medical worker. We thank you again for the help you provide."

S. Just (Birmingham, MI, USA)August 14, 2012

"I do want you to know how much I appreciate your organization. I haven't needed to use one of the doctors yet, but I use the vaccination, malaria and climate charts extensively."

J. Lang (Spokane, WA, USA ) August 13, 2012

"... I do think that the service that you render is valuable. When a traveler is preparing to make a trip overseas, one of the primary concerns is how will I be able to get medical help if needed. Your help in finding qualified physicians who speak your language is invaluable."

W. Whitney (Georgetown, TX, USA) May 30, 2012

"Thank you for providing an excellent and VERY important service to ALL travellers! The concept of Dr. Marcolongo was not in vain! Great work!"

T. Luckacs (Tottenham, ON, Canada ) April 7, 2012

"We have travelled quite a lot and have used your valuable information several times. We have also made use of the Doctors' handbook to locate English speaking doctors. We have used IAMAT several times over the years [in Greece, Malaysia, Morocco, Vietnam, and Hong Kong]. It is very reassuring to have IAMAT's list of doctors with us when we travel as we are usually away for a long time. The information on immunization has also been very helpful. So thank you IAMAT."

J. and G. Brenda (Edmonton, AB, Canada ) February 1, 2012

"I used to be a travel nurse at a travel clinic in BC, and that is how I know about IAMAT. Last summer my friend and I were in Rome, where IAMAT started, and his daughter needed to see a doctor for an ear problem. Wow! Best service ever.

I love IAMAT and recommend it to my colleagues all the time."

L. Chisholm (Fort St. John, BC, Canada ) December 19, 2011

"At 88 and feeling my age, I do not travel now. This does not stop me from supporting you."

D. Rule (Hamilton, ON, Canada ) December 8, 2011

"For years when I was travelling, I carried your booklet of American-trained doctors with me without incident and was reassured by it. When my daughter was headed to Nepal as a volunteer with Save the Children to help rescue Nepali children and their parents who were being evicted from Bhutan in mid-winter, some were barefoot and without coats, I urged her to take your booklet and a general antibiotic my doctor sent to her. By the time she arrived, international protest had led to the closing of the border and Save the Children had left.

She 'holed up' in a hotel in Katmandu, coming down with some flu or other. She took the medicine for 5 days, then called me that she couldn't shake it and was heading home. I told her not to make any decision until she was well and reminded her of the IAMAT package I had asked for her. She found one American-trained doctor in Kathmandu and called him. He came to the hotel promptly, told her the medicine was a good general one but gave her one specifically for her illness. Within three days she called again, well and praising the doctor. She told me excitedly that she had contacted the local educational office and was hired to teach English to the children of Tibetan refugees in a village high in the mountains. She left that day and hiked the 30 miles to the village where she remained happily for a year. She would have lost that great adventure in her life if she had not been enrolled with you! Thank you for giving her that opportunity!"

B. Carr (Alsip, IL, USA ) December 1, 2011

"This is just a quick comment to say how thankful I am for your organization. I am about to leave for Europe for a year and am honestly nervous since I am prone to anxiety and depression. But your advice and support makes me less nervous for the future and reminds me that even when I'm abroad, I will have IAMAT for support. Thank you for everything."

L.S. (Buckley, WA, USA ) March 25, 2011

"I was in Tokyo last month with a client who needed to see a doctor. No one at his corporate office was able to help him find medical help so I went to the IAMAT website and found him a doctor who saw and treated him that afternoon. Thanks for being there."

N.J. (Milwaukee, WI, USA ) February 1, 2011

"As a Clinical Psychologist, I want to express appreciation that you have put this packet together. Since travel is so available to us, it is easy to forget that it can be extremely stressful and one's defenses may be sorely tested. Our resilience is weakened with long-distance travel. Hopefully, many others, even those without any connection with mental illness, will read these articles as part of good travel preparation and hygiene."

B. N. PhD, RN, (Albuquerque, NM, USA ) January 18, 2011

"Thank you for creating the PDF documents for better mental health while traveling. This is a great service."

B. E. (Redwood City, CA, USA ) January 11, 2011

"While on a cruise I felt my foot (toe) do a big crack. This was Oct. 27. We were at sea Oct. 28. [I] emailed the doctor in Barcelona. She gave us an appointment for Oct. 29 at 8:00am. She was excellent, helped me tremendously. Please note that she is an outstanding member of IAMAT (Dr. Mary McCarthy, MD. FACP)."

B.H. (Lake Mary, FL, USA ) December 14, 2010

"Belonging to this organization has been a great comfort as my husband and I, and now just I, enjoy travelling the world.

Congratulations on 50 years. What a splendid and humane idea it was and is. I have told many travelling friends about you and some certainly are now among your members. Fortunately I have never had to use your services. Knowing they are there is priceless. Thank you for all you do."

M.F. (Sierra Madre, CA, USA ) October 5, 2010

"This is an excellent site! Professional, sourced, current, and easy for both laymen and professionals. I will be recommending this site to professional colleagues, personal friend travelers, schoolmates (I originally clicked on this site as a possible source for a scholarly project), and anyone I can during casual conversations... Again, thank you for a wonderfully informative, user-friendly, easy to navigate website."

M.M. (online ) September 25, 2010

"Congratulations on your 50th anniversary - a remarkable achievement.

My husband and I just became aware of IAMAT in 1976 and have donated annually. We read about Dr. Marcolongo. My husband was doing a lot of business travel overseas in developing countries. He was having reactions to vaccinations.

... Also while travelling with a friend in Japan, she developed breathing problems. The hotel referred her to a doctor I later learned was an IAMAT doctor. In Singapore [my husband] attended your clinic. [He] was being treated for a severe reaction to Fansidar and was successfully treated by your doctor... So IAMAT has been very helpful to us.

We also tell friends about your services and several have joined. We consult your charts before travelling to developing countries. Thank you for your help in the past."

C.L. and A.L, (Victoria, BC Canada )
May 17, 2010

"Years ago you helped me with my travels to S.E. Asia. Now I will be travelling to India. Please send me everything I need to know. ... My heartfelt thanks for your priceless help."

A.F. (Rural Hall, NC, USA ) December 11, 2009

"I was grateful for the list of helpful addresses for medical assistance provided your Association. This gave me and my family peace of mind while travelling in Egypt recently. Please accept [a] small donation... as a heartfelt thanks."

G.R. (Montreal, PQ, Canada ) December 8, 2009

"I am sending a larger than usual donation this year because I finally had cause to use your services on our holiday to Asia this January to March 2009. We were in mainland Malaysia when I first became slightly ill. ... We consulted our IAMAT booklet and went to the Klinik Catterall, Khoo, Raja Malek SDN BHN where I was able to see Dr. Zaid Chelvaraj. He was absolutely wonderful - he and a nurse gave me a thorough exam and a long discussion on all my symptoms. ... I and my husband remain very grateful to Dr. Zaid for his kindness and his good treatment and diagnosis. And thank you to IAMAT for providing us with the information of where to find good medical help."

H.L. (Nepean, ON, Canada ) December 7, 2009

"I have been a donating member since 1993 and just wanted to let you know that I used the services (for the first time!) of a doctor in your directory recently - in Jodhpur, India. I received prompt medical treatment from Dr. Anand Goyal and was soon on the road to recovery.

Thank you IAMAT for all that you do!"

S.O. (Kanata, ON, Canada ) November 9, 2009

"... Never expecting to have to use your services, my wife hurt her leg and was unable to walk when we were on tour in Izmir, Turkey, last December. It was the first day of a Moslem holiday, and none of the medical clinics would see us. When we called Dr. John Fowler and explained the situation, he came to the hotel and filled out the necessary paperwork so that we could return back to the U.S. under our travel policy for treatment. Dr. Fowler went out of his way to help, and we are ever grateful."

A. & K. L. (Ocean, NJ, USA ) May 26, 2009

"... I would just like to again thank you for your excellent traveller's services. One of our trips last year was to Rome and Sicily in the Spring, leaving in late April. Somehow, it must have been on the plane, I contracted traveller's diarrhoea, which began to cause problems shortly after we arrived in Rome.

As it was a Saturday I presumed your contacts there would be closed; but decided to telephone anyway to see if they had an answering service... When I tried Alphamed Clinic off the Piazza Navona, [it] was answered by Dr. Frohlich, who immediately faxed prescriptions to my hotel so I was able to get medication that day. In addition, the doctor telephoned me later that day to see if everything was going along alright.

Once again, as in England a few years ago, your membership has been invaluable."

F.H.A (London, ON, Canada ) May 20, 2009

"Your publications are outstandingly well presented and I have enjoyed having them. Thank you so much."

B.E.G. (Victoria, BC, Canada ) May 16, 2009

"I made a donation to your organization [on behalf of my son] when he was 16 years old, on his first travels to far away places. He is now nearing 50, and I have kept up the donations ever since... You do wonderful work."

A.N. (Toronto, ON, Canada ) May 1, 2009

"Over the years my wife and I have made many trips abroad always with the assistance of IAMAT data - climate and medical resources. We have never had occassion to require use of medical resources abroad through IAMAT, but appreciate the potential value of the contact info.

This year, a recent trip to Southeast Asia required multiple immunizations and we found that the IAMAT data was very thorough and helpful in identifying these needs - including malaria. Keep up the good work..."

G.R.L. (Waterloo, ON, Canada ) March 21, 2009

"I am very impressed with this organization. My e-mails have been promptly and thoroughly responded to. I appreciate the helpful information IAMAT has made available to the public. May people continue to support and share in the services of IAMAT."

J.W. (Corona, CA, USA ) March 13, 2009

"I am looking forward to some travel in Europe in a few months, and always feel much safer when I know I have my IAMAT membership card with me!"

M.M. (Regina, SK, Canada ) February 17, 2009

"I have become a member of IAMAT in the past for my own travels and have since donated for family / friends to become members for their trips. I think it is an excellent service you offer!"

K.W. (Ottawa, ON, Canada ) February 16, 2009

"My membership package came in record time and I was able to take it with me on my trip to Africa. Thank you SO much for the speedy service. Happily, I didn't need to seek any medical help."

L.S. (Cleveland Heights, OH, USA) January 24, 2009

"... I highly value membership in IAMAT. I was for many years a medical director at a company, and just recently retired. We always appreciated the information and sense of security that IAMAT provided our travelers. "

S.M. (Westmount, PQ, Canada) January 16, 2009

"I am a member of IAMAT. I am enclosing an extra donation in thanks for your doctor member Dr. Santanu Chatterjee of Kolkata, India, who recently treated a friend of mine who was ill while visiting the city. We appreciated Dr. Chatterjee's excellent assistance. "

R.S. (Los Angeles, CA USA) November 29, 2008

"This letter is forwarded to express my appreciation and that of my fellow traveler, also an IAMAT member, for the superior service we both received from an IAMAT physician in Quito, Ecuador. We were on a tour of Peru and Ecuador when we both became ill while in the Galapagos Islands early in June of this year. When our tour group returned to Quito on June 3rd we used the IAMAT directory to locate and contact Dr. Alvaro F. Davalos P. We would like to inform you that the medical diagnosis and treatment we received from Dr. Davalos, the staff at his clinic and at the Hospital was exceptionally noteworthy. Dr. Davalos' professional demeanor, obvious medical qualifications and personable manner relieved the stress we were experiencing due to our illness in an unfamiliar environment. We felt completely confident with his treatment and would rate it with any we have received here in the US. We would also like to commend the treatment of Dr. Christian Fierro Ren, a cardiologist, who was called in by Dr. Davalos for a consultation. While he may not be a member of IAMAT, his personal attention and skill are most commendable. We want to convey our appreciation to IAMAT for the wonderful service you provide to travelers. We are spreading the word to all our friends and fellow travelers."

H.C. and K.W. (Newhall, CA, USA and Moorpark, CA, USA) July 3, 2008

"I recently was on a trip in Rome, and developed a serious medical problem. I would like to compliment the contact in Rome (Medical Center and Travel Clinic) who quickly responded and referred me to Dr. H. Thielen. Dr. Thielen called me back almost immediately and saw me in his office in a short period of time (this was on a Sunday) and hospitalized me. Dr. Thielen was superb and very compassionate and attentive to my needs. The end result was that I received appropriate treatment and was able to continue on my travels. I have nothing but praise for your organization and for the ability to have an emergency contact in a strange city and country. I do not remember the name of the physician who answered the phone at the Medical Center and Travel Clinic, but he was also extremely attentive and immediately obtained help for me. "

A.S. (Rolling Hills Estates, CA, USA) June 22, 2008

"Dr. J. van der Merwe provided excellent care when we needed a doctor while travelling in South Africa. He also aranged two other consultations. I would recommend his clinic to other travellers."

R.B. (Stouffville, ON, Canada)April 23, 2008

"My husband spent the month of March 2005 in La Paz, Bolivia at 12,000 feet. A year later, I accompanied him back to La Paz for the month of March 2006. We wish to give an enthusiastic recommendation for the medical care we received at the Clinica IPPA in La Paz, under the care of Dr. Luis Zubieta and his outstanding family of caregivers. In 2005, my husband had some rather severe altitude sickness which required hospitalization at the Clinica for about four days. As the altitude sickness was almost ended, he got a severe case of hystolitic amoebas. Both conditions can be life-threatening. Up-to-date medical equipment, sophisticated diagnosis and treatment, and superb, personal nursing care soon brought both conditions under control. And, the cost was reasonable. In 2006, both of us required several outpatient visits: my husband for coughing and asthmatic bronchitis, and myself for an ear infection (which the Clinica treated) and an ophthalmologic condition (for which Dr. Zubieta arranged a same-day referral consultation with a John Hopkins trained Ophthalmologist). Our full courses of treatment required two outpatient visits and several telephone consultations, all of which occurred on the same day we requested help. We cannot speak highly enough of the excellent medical care we both received from these modern, sophisticated, humane healthcare providers at Clinica IPPA and Dr. Luis Zubieta."

J.K. & S.K. (Santa Fe, NM, USA) August 12, 2006

"Just a note to tell you that both my daughter and I became sick on a trip and your service helped us find a doctor who was efficient and trustworthy. Thank you!"

B.C. (Alsip, IL, USA)May 21, 2006

"I came down with salmonella poisoning while traveling in Peru. I received excellent care from Doctor Pablo Boza at the Iamat Center in Lima as well as the British-American Hospital in San Isidro. I would recommend these facilities to any traveler. "

M.E. (Gig Harbor, USA)December 15, 2005

"This past summer I became ill while in Greece. I never travel abroad without taking the countries' IAMAT listing. When I got to Athens two days after becoming ill, I called Dr. Dionysios S. Botseas. He was wonderful! He had me admitted to Athens General Clinic, and was very attentive for the three days I was there. He made sure I got proper treatment and ultrasound scopes, and checked with me several times a day. He even gave me his home number to call. This is the first time in all of the years I have belonged to IAMAT that I have had to call a doctor. I could not have wished for a better experience. Dr. Botseas also did follow-up after my discharge, even to recommending tests by my London, UK doctor, and corresponding with me about my condition. Here is my annual donation. It is somewhat larger than usual as a 'thank you' for your wonderful organization. I also use your Malaria and Immunization charts when planning my trips to tropical and other 'suspect' areas. I co-ordinate them with our immunization doctor here at the University of Michigan Health Service. I am sorry it has taken me so long to write about my July illness, but that does not make my glowing report of Dr. Botseas any the less sincere nor me any less grateful."

Z.W. (Ann Arbor, MI, USA)December 5, 2005

"I suffer from atrial fibrillation and am on warfarin therapy. My therapy brought me in contact with Dr. Nicholas Page in London and Dr. Michael Haas in Rome. I would recommend both doctors to any traveler. "

M.K. (Lane Cove, Australia)October 15, 2005

"While traveling in Bolivia I suffered from altitude sickness and pulmonary edema. I received excellent care at the Clinica IPPA in La Paz and would recommend it to others. "

F.S. (Portugal)October 8, 2005

"In Addis Ababa, I consulted one of your doctor's at the Hayat Hospital. I was suffering from an allergy that was clogging my nasal passages. I received excellent care. The head doctor was Canadian trained. He seemed very competent. I am also on blood thinner medication. So, at my doctor's request I had three blood tests on this trip, in Kenya, Ethiopia and Jordan. I was pleased with the service and professionalism at all three clinics."

J.J. (Green Mountain Falls, USA)May 12, 2005

"My husband and I travelled to Thailand in January. I fell twice in Bangkok and pulled various muscles. Our second stop was Chiang Mai, Thailand. We consulted your list of medical facilities and found the address of the McCormick Hospital. We had wonderful care and most everyone spoke English well. Being a nurse myself, I was very satisified with the testing and medications ordered to treat my injury. AS well, the cost was unbelievably minor!"

M.A.R. (Simcoe, ON, Canada)April 15, 2005

"While travelling in Bolivia I was suffering from altitude sickness. I received excellent care at the Clinica IPPA and would recommend it to other travellers."

G.D. (Varna, Italy)March 1, 2005

"I received excellent care for an upper respiratory infection while in Acapulco, Mexico. Dr. J. Acevedo came to me and I would recommend him to other travelers. "

C.A. (Millbrae, USA)February 26, 2005

"We went on a backpacking trip to Nepal, India, Egypt and Europe. In Cairo, the doctor contacted was very pleasant and helpful. In Nepal, I came down with diarrhea. The care received at the clinic was professional, prompt, polite and very helpful (I was cured). We have recommended IAMAT to many other travellers."

M.P. & K.P. (International Falls, USA)January 31, 2005