Botswana has some remote and far-away places. Many of these places are likely to be where tourists are headed because they contain some of the country’s best wildlife and most pristine natural areas. There are a couple of highly rated emergency response teams equipped for both land and air rescue in Botswana.
If travelers are on a guided safari tour in Botswana, they will have their local guide to rely on, who will have first aid qualifications and a medical response protocol to follow in an emergency.
Safari lodges and camps are equipped with satellite telephones, Wi-Fi, or an accessible mobile phone network to contact the necessary medical facilities in an emergency.
If travelers have opted for the self-drive route, it’s advisable to have purchased a SIM card for one of Botswana’s mobile networks or to use international roaming in order to make calls domestically.
In an emergency, Medical Rescue International (MRI) is one of the country’s leading ground and aerial ambulance response services and is available all day, every day and can be contacted on the following numbers: 992 (toll-free from any local network) or +267 3901601 (international).
Patients can request to be flown to Milpark Trauma Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. If the patient, or anyone else in the party, cannot speak, the MRI responders will transfer the patient to the hospital appropriate for their medical condition. Milpark Trauma Hospital is the region’s best and most frequently used hospital.