Ecobank, AMREF ink deal to evacuate patients around East Africa

Bank’s customers will be provided with convenient access to fast, affordable, and quality air and ground evacuation services in the event of medical emergencies

Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | The Kenyan subsidiary of the pan-African financial institution, Ecobank, has entered into a partnership with the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) to help ease emergency air and ground evacuation of the Bank’s clientele patients in Kenya and across East Africa.

Under the new collaboration, the Bank’s customers will be provided with convenient access to fast, affordable, and quality air and ground evacuation services in the event of a medical emergency in East Africa under AMREF’s “Maisha membership” scheme.

Members of AMREF Flying Doctors’ Maisha plan will have access to unlimited evacuation flights per year for medical emergencies, unlimited ground ambulance transfers within Kenya, access to AMREF Flying Doctors’ 24-hour control centre, staffed by qualified medical practitioners who provide invaluable medical advice.

Maisha membership eliminates the need for third-party intermediaries, allowing the Bank’s clientele to access the services directly when in need. At premium level of membership, clients will have access to air medical evacuations and up to US$200,000 of post-evacuation hospitalization benefit in Nairobi or South Africa and return flights back home.

Speaking during the signing of the partnership at AMREF Flying Doctors’ hangar, at Wilson Airport in Nairobi on Aug.23, Josephine Anan-Ankomah, the Ecobank Kenya Managing Director and Regional Executive CESA, said, “Access to medical emergency evacuations here in Kenya and across Africa remains a big challenge partly due to prohibitive costs, infrastructural challenges, and lack of skilled resources.”

“We are greatly pleased to partner with AMREF Flying Doctors to help our customers and other Kenyans to easily access emergency ground and air evacuation services for proper medical treatment in Nairobi and elsewhere in the region,” she said.

Dr. Joseph Lelo, the Medical Director of AMREF Flying Doctors, lauded the partnership, noting that: “We are delighted to partner with Ecobank Kenya to ensure that their clients have the necessary coverage during medical emergencies. Healthcare emergencies continue to stress families emotionally and financially especially in our part of the world.”

Lelo added: “Maisha Membership will provide peace of mind that the affected person will have timely and professional medical transport in an emergency. This is a commendable initiative by the bank, and we urge Ecobank’s customers to enroll in our emergency medical evacuation plan, which provides low-cost access to premium emergency transportation services.”

Dr. Lelo noted that over the last 65 years, AMREF Flying Doctors had provided rapid and high-quality air evacuation services with highly trained personnel and robust infrastructure. “As we continue to grow and maintain dominance as a market leader in the emergency medical services (EMS) industry in Africa, we are excited to partner with Ecobank.”

The Maisha Emergency Medical Evacuation Plan is available in five packages – Maisha Bronze, Maisha Silver, Maisha Gold, Maisha Platinum and Diamond for as low as KShs 3,100 (Shs 80,600) and designed to cover evacuations within the Eastern Africa region.

Countries covered under the deal include Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and Ethiopia. Members have an option to include other members of their family to enjoy the same benefit as per the prescribed tariffs in the package. Customers can access the Maisha Medical Evacuation scheme by visiting or by contacting the bank’s customer service centre.