Emergency Referral & Medical Transportation
Closing the gap between rural clinics and higher-level care
A woman may reach a local health facility and still require referral to a higher-level hospital or health center. Transportation can become a critical barrier, particularly when care is needed urgently.
TMF is working to strengthen emergency referral pathways across its partner clinic network.
Until TMF can purchase its own dedicated transportation solution, the program supports pre-funded and pre-arranged transportation when possible.
The challenge
The delay in physically reaching an appropriate healthcare facility after the decision to seek or refer for care is often described within the maternal-health Three Delays Model as the Second Delay. In rural settings, referral may be affected by:
- Distance
- Transportation availability
- Transportation cost
- Road conditions
- Communication delays
- Lack of dedicated emergency transport
TMF's approach
TMF aims to build a dependable referral system including:
- Clear referral protocols
- Pre-arranged transportation
- Dedicated referral funding
- 24/7 transportation availability
- Communication between sending and receiving facilities
- Referral tracking
- Long-term acquisition of appropriate medical transportation
- Addresses
- The Second Delay (Three Delays Model)
- Interim approach
- Pre-funded, pre-arranged transportation
- Long-term goal
- Dedicated medical transportation
