Returning home after treatment in Georgia: clearance to fly, a medical escort and handover to your doctor
Whether you can fly, and on what conditions, is decided by your treating doctor and sometimes also by the airline, which asks for its own medical form. Once that decision is made, we arrange everything else: the forms, airport assistance, a medical escort or a stretcher if needed, a document pack for your hand luggage and the handover of your medical history to your doctor at home. We speak with you in English and Russian, and in other languages through an interpreter.
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Your doctor clears you to flyThe date follows the doctor's decision, not the ticket
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An escort as neededAlone, with a companion, a nurse or a doctor
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Your history reaches your doctorA translated discharge summary and plan, with your consent
In short: what happens before you return
- Whether you can fly, and on what conditions (wheelchair, oxygen, escort), is determined by the treating doctor. We do not make this decision, nor do we hurry it.
- The airline may need a medical information form completed by the doctor, as well as approval from its own medical department.
- We choose a ticket whose date can be changed, because the doctor may postpone discharge.
- If the doctor requires an escort, we arrange a nurse or doctor on a scheduled flight; for travel lying down, a stretcher or a medical charter flight.
- In your hand luggage you carry the discharge summary, a list of medicines and the documents your doctor and insurer will need.
- With your consent, we send your medical history, translated, to your doctor and, if both doctors agree, arrange a conversation between them with an interpreter.
Who decides whether you can fly?
The first and most important word belongs to the treating doctor. They know what operation or treatment was carried out, how your recovery is going and what risk flying poses in your particular case. That is why we fix the flight date after the doctor's opinion and never ask the doctor to fit in with a ticket.
The other party is the airline. If a passenger has only just finished treatment or needs a wheelchair, oxygen or an extra seat, the airline often asks for a medical information form, which many carriers call a MEDIF. The form is completed and signed by the treating doctor and then reviewed by the airline's medical department, which may set an additional condition, such as an escort. Rules vary from airline to airline, so we check them for the specific flight. We explain the form and on-board equipment in detail on our page on air travel for patients.
Our work at this stage is logistical: we obtain the form from the airline, give it to the doctor to complete, return the completed form, follow up on the response and book airport assistance, a wheelchair or a special seat. If the airline refuses or sets a condition, we tell you straight away and choose the next step together with the doctor.
How will you travel home? Four options
The option depends on your condition and the doctor's recommendation. The table shows what each one involves in terms of organisation.
| Option | Who is at your side | What we arrange |
|---|---|---|
| A scheduled flight, alone or with a companion | A family member or friend, if you have one | Transfer to the airport, a wheelchair and assistance at the airport, an aisle seat, the airline form if required |
| A scheduled flight with a medical escort | A nurse or doctor sitting beside you with portable equipment | Choosing the escort on the doctor's recommendation, their ticket and return journey, the airline's approval for the equipment |
| A stretcher on a scheduled flight | A medical team, with the stretcher installed in the cabin in place of several seats | The airline's medical clearance, ground transfers at both airports, a receiving clinic |
| A medical charter flight | An intensive care team and equipment from bed to bed | Finding an operator and a written quote, a receiving clinic, the ground legs of the journey |
The last two options are handled by our VIP and critical care division: formats, timescales and what the price includes are described on our medical charter flight page, and all the division's services on the VIP and critical care page. When you travel lying down, the stretch from the clinic to the airport is covered by an ICU ambulance.
What documents should you have in your hand luggage?
Checked baggage can be delayed or lost, so we always put the items below in your hand luggage and email you copies.
- Discharge summary, the clinic's report at discharge: the original and a translation into the language your doctor reads.
- A list of medicines with international names, doses and the dosing schedule, plus copies of prescriptions.
- Test and imaging results: laboratory tests and scans in digital form, for example on a disc or via a link, if the clinic issues them that way.
- Flight documents: the doctor's opinion on flying or the airline's completed form and its approval.
- Implant card, if the clinic has issued one: you may need it at airport security and at later appointments.
- Invoices and payment receipts for your insurer or employer, and a copy of your insurance policy.
- Contacts: the treating doctor, the clinic's international department and your coordinator.
As for medicines, according to a leaflet from the Revenue Service of Georgia, the customs authority, up to 10 standard packs of an ordinary medicine for personal use may be taken out of the country without documents. Narcotic and psychotropic medicines, however, require certified documents. The import rules of your own country also need to be checked, so we deal with this topic separately on our medicines page.
If a document needs to have official force in your country, an apostille is placed on a medical facility's document by the Public Service Development Agency, an agency within the Ministry of Justice system, and no visit to a notary is needed for this. For countries that are not party to the Apostille Convention, legalisation is required: the document is first certified by the same agency and the final confirmation is given by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We describe preparing your documents in detail on our medical documents for home page.
How is your treatment handed over to your doctor at home?
Treatment does not end with the flight. How well it continues depends on how fully and clearly the doctor who sees you at home receives the information.
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A discharge summary with a follow-up plan
Before discharge, we check that the discharge summary records the treatment given, current prescriptions, restrictions and follow-up dates. If anything is missing, we ask the doctor to add it before you leave the country.
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Translation into your doctor's language
We translate the discharge summary and prescriptions into the language your doctor works in. This is done by our medical translation service, and a typical case is described on our discharge summary translation page.
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Handover with your consent
Health data is specially protected information, so we send it to a doctor only with your written consent and only to the address you specify yourself.
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A conversation between doctors
If both your doctor and your treating doctor in Georgia agree, we arrange a call between them, with an interpreter if needed. In such a conversation, doctors ask each other what a document cannot convey.
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The full record later
Under the Law of Georgia on Patient Rights, you request copies of your medical records from the clinic in writing, and the Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection sets 10 working days for this. We prepare the request and send the copies to you by international courier.
If you feel unwell after returning home, contact the ambulance service or a doctor in your own country first. After that, we put them in touch with your treating clinic in Georgia and provide the documents they need. You will find the whole process, from the first assessment to your return, on our services page for international patients.
Frequently asked questions about returning home
How soon after surgery can I fly?
There is no general answer: it depends on the type of operation, your condition, the length of the flight and how your recovery is going. That is why we put this question to your treating doctor and ask for the answer in writing. Until the doctor answers, we choose a ticket that allows the date to be changed, or book later, so that a delay does not cost you extra. If the doctor says you can fly, but with a condition, for example with a wheelchair or oxygen, that condition must also be agreed with the airline, which we do for you.
What happens if the airline does not give its approval?
The airline's medical department may require an additional condition, such as a medical escort or an extra seat, or may suggest a different flight. In that case we tell you straight away and discuss with the treating doctor which option is realistic: meeting the condition, another airline, postponing the flight or a medical charter. The decision is made on the doctor's recommendation and with your consent. We cannot guarantee the airline's approval, because it depends solely on its medical department.
Who can be a medical escort, and what does it cost?
The escort is a nurse or a doctor, with the qualification determined by the treating doctor's recommendation: some patients need a nurse to manage medicines and readings, others need a doctor. The cost is made up of several parts: the escort's services, their ticket in both directions, an overnight stay in the destination city if needed, and the airline's charge for an extra seat or equipment. There is no fixed price, so we give you the exact total for your route in writing. We will also tell you which language the escort speaks.
Can a family member travelling with me replace a medical escort?
If the doctor considers that you will not need medical help on the way, being accompanied by a family member or friend is often enough: they help you with luggage, getting around the airport and taking your medicine on time. If the doctor or the airline requires a medical escort, a family member cannot take their place unless they are a doctor or nurse themselves and the airline agrees. In that case both can travel: the family member at your side, and the medical escort responsible for medical matters.
If I have questions after returning home, can I still contact the clinic in Georgia?
Often yes, but it depends on the clinic's rules. Some clinics offer remote consultations, others prefer to deal only with your own doctor. Before discharge, we confirm whom you can write to with follow-up questions, in what form and whether there is a charge. If contact becomes necessary, we arrange an interpreter, collect any new test results from your country and send them to the clinic with your consent. In an emergency, however, always contact your local ambulance service, not a clinic abroad.
What comes before returning home
- Care after surgery in Georgia A nurse, a caregiver and equipment for the days when you have been discharged but have not yet flown home.
- Rehabilitation and spa resorts If your doctor recommends rehabilitation on site, before you fly.
- Medical document package with an apostille When a document needs official force in your country.
Your doctor says "you can", we arrange the "how"
Send us your discharge summary and the expected date. We will work out the flight format on the doctor's recommendation, prepare the forms and documents and hand over your history to your doctor.