We're thrilled to announce the launch of our d.HOLIDAY Fly Back Programme which will be facilitating and funding safe & fast returns home for holiday dialysis patients who may receive their long-awaited kidney transplant call whilst travelling within Europe.
The d.HOLIDAY Fly Back Programme is set to address a key concern for many eligible kidney transplantation patients that can severely curtail their mobility and freedom of movement – that is, what should happen if they get the call from their transplantation coordinator whilst being away from their normal base of treatment?
The programme will help travelling dialysis patients to quickly return home upon receiving notice that a suitable organ has become available for them. More specifically, it will arrange on behalf of the patient for the fastest travel options – be it a flight, a train or a bus - from the holiday destination, all the way back to the transplant hospital, covering the associated costs. It is available not only to all Diaverum patients, but also non-Diaverum patients booking their holiday dialysis at a Diaverum clinic via d.HOLIDAY – as long as the trip takes place within Europe, since long-haul travelling may impact the patient’s ability to return in time for the transplant.
To ensure the quality, responsiveness and speed of the service, we are partnering with one of the most experienced travel agencies in Sweden – Lingmerths – and with the global leading holiday dialysis booking engine – bookdialysis.com. Such partnership means that the d.HOLIDAY Fly Back Programme participants are ably supported by a specialised holiday dialysis call centre, which they can contact to discuss their personal travel requirements or concerns.
News of the Fly Back Programme is the latest in a series of recent developments for d.HOLIDAY, which last month launched its services in Greece, one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations.
Commitment to advancing transplantation
The offering presented by the Fly Back Programme forms part of Diaverum’s ongoing dedication towards the advancement of transplantation as a viable option for all eligible patients. Unlike other treatments that manage symptoms or slow disease progression, transplantation offers the possibility of restoring kidney function to near-normal levels, offering eligible patients the opportunity to reclaim their lives from the constraints that come with living with CKD - which is why Diaverum considers access to transplantation a quality indicator of its patient-centric CKD 5 care.
Michaela Blomstrand, Global Director of Patient Experience & Stakeholder Management, commented on the news: “I am excited and proud in equal measure about our new offering. Travel – and more specifically, freedom of movement - is an essential part of life; it’s not only about exploring new destinations but also about being able to connect with friends and family in other cities or countries. Patients who are on a transplant wating list are on call 24/7 and must be able to reach the transplant centre within a short window of time once they are notified a kidney is available for them. Our d.HOLIDAY Fly Back Programme will give these patients the confidence to travel with piece of mind at such an important moment in their lives”.
Diaverum’s Transplantation Ambassador, Dr Domingos Machado, added: “I am delighted that d.HOLIDAY, an incredibly valuable service available to people living with CKD, is now supporting the mobility of dialysis patients on their long-awaited and highly emotional journey towards transplantation”.
“As both a nephrologist and kidney donor, I’ve had the privilege to witness the profound difference receiving a kidney can make in empowering CKD patients to live fulfilling lives. That d.HOLIDAY understands and supports this, is proof that Diaverum is an organisation with True care at the core of everything it does”.
d.HOLIDAY is currently available in 24 countries across the world, including 14 in Europe, where 224 clinics are fully equipped to welcome holiday dialysis patients, giving them the freedom to travel, with full confidence that their continuity of care is ensured.
More information about d.HOLIDAY, the d.HOLIDAY Fly Back Programme and all associated terms and conditions, is available via the d.HOLIDAY website.