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International SOS

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International SOS provides integrated medical, clinical, and security services to organisations with international operations. Services include planning and preventative programs, in-country expertise, and emergency response. It has 10,000 employees, led by 1,100 full-time physicians and 200 security specialists and provides health and security support to members in 70 countries. Its clients include 70 percent of the Fortune Global 500 companies.[1] The company's core offering is its medical, security and membership services that enable employees to get pre-travel advice, medical and security assistance abroad and emergency help. [2]

Organisation

International SOS has twelve regional centres – in Beijing, Dubai, Jakarta, Johannesburg, London, Miami, Moscow, Paris, Philadelphia, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo – as well as a network of alarm centres. The centres are staffed by physicians, operations managers, multilingual coordinators and logistics support personnel. The company has dual headquarters in London and Singapore. [3] Approximately 33 percent of the organisation's total workforce are medical professionals.[4] The organisation often uses hospitals accredited by international accreditation groups, such as JCI in Singapore and Trent Accreditation Scheme in Hong Kong. The company has 73,000 accredited network providers: hospitals, ambulances, specialist doctors, charter aircraft and local hospitals which provide on-the-ground healthcare services to International SOS members.

History

AEA International was founded in 1985 by Pascal Rey-Herme and Arnaud Vaissié. The organisation focused specifically on providing medical assistance services to multinational companies operating in Asia Pacific. Over the following decade, the company grew from its base in Singapore and Indonesia into a pan-Asian corporation, creating operating companies in Hong Kong, Australia, Japan and mainland China. In 1995, AEA International launched subsidiaries in France and the USA. In 1998, AEA International acquired International SOS Assistance, creating the largest medical assistance company in the world. For a while, it was known as AEA International SOS. The organisation was renamed International SOS in 1999.[5]

In July 2008, International SOS launched a "strategic alliance" with rival Control Risks, to offer combined medical and security services.[6]

In October 2008, International SOS acquired MedAire [7], a provider of remote medical services for aviation and maritime.

On November 12, 2009, International SOS announced it had acquired Abermed, the UK-based provider of occupational health and remote medical services to the energy sector, including specialised services such as hyperbaric medicine, UK-trained rig medics and occupational health services. [8].

On January 11, 2011, International SOS announced its merger with VIPdesk, the North American provider of concierge services, customer care and loyalty programs. Under the terms of the deal, VIPdesk continues to operate as the US-based, wholly owned subsidiary of International SOS, under the leadership of its founders and management.

On January 25, 2011, International SOS acquired SMI (Service Médical International), the France-based manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies to the aviation, maritime, and oil industries as well as to various NGOs and international organisations. [9].

Duty of care

International SOS assists organisations with developing integrated, strategic risk management programs helping to fulfill duty of care[10] obligations within the context of travel risk management. International SOS helps plan, organise and develop an appropriate strategy to minimise risk and to protect human assets. [11]

Major crises and International SOS

International SOS has supported its clients and members in the face of global health and security crises including: SARS 2003, Boxing Day tsunami 2004, 2006 Lebanon evacuations, 2008 Sichuan earthquake, bird 'flu H1N1, swine 'flu outbreak (H1N5) in 2009, 2010 Haiti earthquake, 2011 Arab spring, and 2011 Japanese tsunami and nuclear events.

Sporting events

In the past two decades, International SOS has provided medical and security services to a number of mass-participant events, such as the Olympic Games in Beijing, Athens, Sydney and The Paralympics, the South East Asian Games, ASEAN Games, East Asian Games in Hong Kong, various Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summits,2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and others.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ International SOS - Medical and Security Solutions, Products and Assistance
  2. ^ Hermann Simon mentioned this company in his correspondent Book as an example of a "Hidden Champion" (Simon, Hermann: Hidden Champions of the 21st Century : Success Strategies of unknown World Market Leaders. London: Springer, 2009.- ISBN 978-0-387-98147-5.)
  3. ^ International SOS Alarm Centers Around the World
  4. ^ International SOS Staff: doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, security experts & aviation specialists
  5. ^ International SOS History - Providing worldwide medical assistance for 20 years
  6. ^ Continuity Central - International SOS and Control Risks form joint venture
  7. ^ - MedAire, an International SOS Company, to Deliver New Levels of Medical Assistance
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ [2]
  10. ^ International SOS - Duty of Care
  11. ^ In 2009, International SOS authored a white paper, Duty of Care of Employers for Protecting International Assignees, their Dependents,and International Business Travelerson legislation on Duty of Care for business travelers around the world. In 2011, the company followed up with another publication,Duty of Care Global Benchmarking Studythat benchmarked over 600 multinational employers practices and attitudes on Duty of Care. Findings included that 95% of these employers sent their staff to high-risk locations.
  12. ^ International SOS supports East Asian Games with emergency medical, repatriation and travel assistance
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