NOW that the Matta Fair is coming again, I would like to offer a word of caution to potential buyers of tour packages. 

At the last Matta Fair, I bought a package tour of Turkey for my family. The tour package included free Matta Medic Evac Insurance coverage.

According to the leaflet issued, one of the benefits/coverage was medical, hospital and treatment expenses which was supposed to “cover medical and hospital expenses incurred overseas as a result of accidental injury or sickness”.

No other documents on the insurance coverage was issued to us before, during or after the tour. Because of this official leaflet, I did not buy any other travel insurance coverage which I normally do. 

During the tour, my daughter, unfortunately, fell sick and required a medical doctor to attend to her in the hotel. 

Upon returning from the tour, I was surprised to learn from the tour agent as well as the insurance representative that I cannot claim medical insurance because my daughter was not hospitalised. 

Nowhere in the leaflet did it specifically state that a person needs to be hospitalised in order to make a claim. 

In my understanding of the words printed, medical expenses referred to all expenses incurred due to medical treatment and that includes out-patient treatment. I felt cheated. 

K.L. LOH,
Petaling Jaya.
Source : The Star - 7 March 2008