Family's Fears For Thai Coma Scot

[webfact]

Family's fears for Thai coma Scot

BANGKOK: -- Allan Hyne, from Buckie, has spent six months in a coma in a Bangkok hospital where his family fears he will die before they can afford to fly him home.

The family of a North East man trapped in a six-month coma in a Thai hospital say they fear he may die there alone because they cannot afford to fly him home.

Allan Hyne, from Buckie, Aberdeenshire, is being treated by doctors in Bangkok after being struck down with a life-threatening virus last August.

The father and grandfather from Buckie had spent the last few years of his working days in Thailand, a country he had grown to love.

However, now it is unclear if he had any medical insurance - and without it the flight home could cost up to £120,000.

Allan is receiving specialist care in one of Bangkok's top hospitals, but it is still not known exactly what's caused the acute inflamation on his brain, leaving him trapped in a coma for the past six months.

His family are now desperate for him to come home to Scotland.

But Allan's daughter Dawn says they are now being billed for his private treatment - but cannot afford the £120,000 quoted to fly him home for treatment on the NHS.

She said: "We really miss him, there is no contact with the hospital and we would really just like for him to come home.

"He would maybe improve in this country."

She added: "It is horrible, his family is here in Scotland and he is stuck in Thailand. He's got nobody beside him and it is so sad."

The Foreign Office says it is providing the Hyne family with consular assistance.

source: news.stv.tv

2010-02-19

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[SeanMoran]

That's an extremely high airfare.

[geriatrickid]

That's an extremely high airfare.

Private air ambulance. However, I agree it is high. It should be around 50K sterling to a principal UK airport. Then its the NHS responsibility to ship him somewhere. More to the story methinks.

[crazyswede]

Post deleted as inappropriate

Astral

Moderator

[samuibeachcomber]

you have to feel for his family.The money quoted for the air fare is bad enough,but no mention of how much six months in a private hospital will come to,scary.

[SeanMoran]

you have to feel for his family.The money quoted for the air fare is bad enough,but no mention of how much six months in a private hospital will come to,scary.

Especially when the Foreign Office gone to so much trouble to tell the media that it is providing 'consular assistance', and the private hospital still can't cure the poor bloke, yet everyone wants their share of the money irregardless of his misfortune. What sort of a species are we anyway?

[quiksilva]

I wonder if the 120,000 includes the cost of his healthcare.... private hospitals in Thailand are not known for providing free treatment.

[Latindancer]

My sympathies go out to him.

Sounds like he needs to change top hospitals, if they can't find the cause yet.

I just looked at the link......the lady in Scotland being interviewed says he's in a "poor person's hospital", whereas the article says he's in a top hospital. There is also a shot of the bill so far .......500,000 baht.

It seems it is a virus....he was admitted as a conscious but sick person, but quickly slipped into a coma. I wonder why they can't find what it is ? Or at least give him a cocktail of antiviral drugs ?

Edited February 19, 2010 by Latindancer

[richieudon]

I hope the poor chap pulls through, I wouldn't rely on too much help from the Foreign Office..

[Ayutthaya69]

you have to feel for his family.The money quoted for the air fare is bad enough,but no mention of how much six months in a private hospital will come to,scary.

yes verry expensive i was in a private hospital for 7 days and cost me 70.000 thai Baht imagin 6 months

10,000 baht a day x 30 days = 300,000 thai baht

300,000 x 6 = 1.800.000 or will be more

[SeanMoran]

My sympathies go out to him.

Sounds like he needs to change top hospitals, if they can't find the cause yet.

I just looked at the link......the lady in Scotland being interviewed says he's in a "poor person's hospital", whereas the article says he's in a top hospital. There is also a shot of the bill so far .......500,000 baht.

It seems it is a virus....he was admitted as a conscious but sick person, but quickly slipped into a coma. I wonder why they can't find what it is ? Or at least give him a cocktail of antiviral drugs ?

Unless they can prove otherwise, that puts the hospital at fault.

[powderpuff]

Sometimes passing over is better than lingering as a vegetable.

[SeanMoran]

Sometimes passing over is better than lingering as a vegetable.

It may also be true that as the poor gentleman in question chose to spend the last few years of his working life here in Thailand, rather than back in Aberdeen, that he might, if asked and able to answer, tell his family that this is the place that he would prefer to stay and recover, and so they might save a large amount of money by coming here to visit him, rather than trying to self-fund his medivac back against his will.

It's a very complex situation because the man is in a coma, meaning that he cannot speak for himself, but he is the one at the centre of this situation, and his own wishes are far more important than those of the family or the doctors or the Foreign Office. Listen to him very carefully.

[jonnyscot]

its very sad to hear about something like this happening, hope the family manage to get things sorted for him and turn around the misfortune, it just makes one think about having medical insurance cover, does anyone have any experience about the quality/costs of medical insurance in thailand?

[samuibeachcomber]

its very sad to hear about something like this happening, hope the family manage to get things sorted for him and turn around the misfortune, it just makes one think about having medical insurance cover, does anyone have any experience about the quality/costs of medical insurance in thailand?

from my experience if you want 100% cover everything but excluding out patient care you'll pay about 30,000 baht per annum if you are in your thirties and have nothing wrong with you,up to about 50,000 baht if you are older.check out bupa,Lmg,or click on thai visa health care forum.

[ManilaLover]

Hopefully one fortunate TV reader will step in and take care of this.

Will give you a serious karma-boost for sure.

[hagler]

Unless they can prove otherwise, that puts the hospital at fault.

thats the most ludicrous thing i have read on TV for ages.

[SeanMoran]

Hopefully one fortunate TV reader will step in and take care of this.

Will give you a serious karma-boost for sure.

Hopefully, the rest of the TV readers will recognise the uselessness of relying on any help from your own country when things go wrong.

[orchis]

But Allan's daughter Dawn says they are now being billed for his private treatment - but cannot afford the £120,000 quoted to fly him home for treatment on the NHS.

She said: "We really miss him, there is no contact with the hospital and we would really just like for him to come home.

Those statements seem to contradict each other.

[Chaimai]

This does raise the question of what Mr Hyne would actually want.

The relatives assume that he (they) want a return to Scotland.

If I had made my life in Thailand, and suffered the same fate, there is no way that I would want to be flown back to the UK. My will states that I wish to be cremated in the country in which I die - maybe I have to cover off a coma situation as well.

[parryhandy]

This situation raises a point I have often wondered . His family are being billed for his treatment, why ? When you admit or are admitted to a hospital here do they not make sure how much treatment you can afford and exactly where the money is coming from ?

I knew a guy here with very little money, with a wife and child, who was sick in a small town hospital (he could not afford the city hospital and refused to be transfered).I went to see him. Anyway his situation deteriorated and he was rushed by ambulance (about 50km) and had one night at the city hospital and died the next day.

His wife ended up with a hospital bill of 150000 baht to be paid before they released the body. Luckily an old friend of the deceased paid the bill, but otherwise the wife and child would have had no chance of paying the bill.

Also a UK friend of mine buried his father here after a emergency stay in hospital. When he informed the British embassy they asked whether all hospital bills had been paid, which they had. The embassy said this was very rare and in the majority of cases there are unpaid bills.

Edited February 19, 2010 by parryhandy

[BlackGrape]

Guys,

We were just talking about this story tonight at the local bar. "Slaps" told me about it. It was about a Jock that was in a coma for 6 months or so and the high price to get him home. Anyway, I went home and called Scotland talk to my family and my dad asked me straight off if I'm ok. Why? Cos he said his mate is having a hard time and asked me if I could go and see him. This I could not do.... His mate worked at the fishcannery in Buckie then came to Thailand as Manager of Grampian Country Chickens. he told me I met him when I was serving my time as well in Buckie

Thats all I have to say about that. RIP Alan

[BlackGrape]

Guys,

We were just talking about this story tonight at the local bar. "Slaps" told me about it. It was about a Jock that was in a coma for 6 months or so and the high price to get him home. Anyway, I went home and called Scotland talk to my family and my dad asked me straight off if I'm ok. Why? Cos he said his mate is having a hard time and asked me if I could go and see him. This I could not do.... His mate worked at the fishcannery in Buckie then came to Thailand as Manager of Grampian Country Chickens. he told me I met him when I was serving my time as well in Buckie

Thats all I have to say about that. RIP Alan

Sorry, he's not gone yet!

[Bagwan]

Unless they can prove otherwise, that puts the hospital at fault.

thats the most ludicrous thing i have read on TV for ages.

Then you obviously have not read post No. 14.

[Latindancer]

Perhaps someone in Thaivisa and here in Bangkok could go to the hospital and check why they have not had success giving him antivirus drugs. The article says he's in a top hospital, but the lady in the video says he's in a "poor person's hospital". And someone else here said there is no real contact between relatives and the hospital............

Don't worry about poster #14 SeanMoran......he apologised recently about being drunk and posting here, but obviously still does it

Edited February 20, 2010 by Latindancer

[churchill]

Family of Moray man in Bangkok coma mount campaign to have him taken home

Retired engineer has mystery virus which affected his brain

Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.a...=#ixzz0g4PA3JCP

[churchill]

Article in full -

The family of a Moray man who has been in a coma in a Thai hospital for six months may mount a new attempt to get him home.

Retired engineer Allan Hyne, from Buckie, is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bangkok after he succumbed to a mystery virus.

The infection has inflamed his brain and his family believe he has been in a coma since last August.

His son and daughter at Buckie have been told that it could cost up to £200,000 to fly him home. They said attempts so far to get assistance from the British Consulate in Bangkok and local politicians in the north-east had come to nothing.

Mr Hyne, 64, formerly worked as an engineer with the Grampian Food Group and has lived in Thailand for between four and five years.

When he was struck down with the viral infection he received treatment in a Bangkok hospital which was paid for by his insurance.

His son and daughter were told subsequently that he was no longer insured as he was retired and he was moved to another hospital.

Daughter Dawn, 41, of Yuill Avenue, Buckie, said her father had been moved to a “pauper” hospital.

Mr Hyne’s son, Allan, 42, of Well Road, Buckie, said yesterday that he and his sister were “still in limbo”.

He said: “We have heard nothing new and we may have to try something else to try to get him home. My sister might go out there and see if we can get him back.

“We understand he is still in a coma and would not be able to come under his own power, so we would need an air ambulance.

“We have nothing planned but it is a possibility that Dawn will go.”

Ms Hyne previously visited her father last year shortly after he became ill.

His son said it had proved difficult to get information about his father’s condition from the hospital. “When he was in the first hospital it was OK because they spoke English but at this other hospital, they don’t understand what I’m saying and sometimes just hang up,” he said.

Moray MP Angus Robertson has pledged to discuss Mr Hyne’s repatriation with the Foreign Office in London.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is offering consular assistance in the case.

Mr Hyne’s son appealed for anyone able to help to contact him at 01542 834693.

Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.a...=#ixzz0g4S1Uo8N

[SeanMoran]

I recommend that the kids read up on Poomsan-Becker to help improve their language skills.

[dindong]

yeah sure, maybe he can speak Thai the next time he phones!!!!!!!!

don't be silly.

[astral]

This is a sad case indeed, and rasies the question for others about adequate insurance cover.

www.bupa.co.th offer a number of levels of policy, particularly aimed at Thai hospitalisation.

www.goodhealth.com offer international cover. Not cheap but will cover repatriation to your place

of residence. Now that might not help here, if the guy has made Thailand his home.

I find the comment that "he is no longer insured as the is retired" rather strange.

If you have existing cover you can often transfer to a new company in an "as is" basis.

ie your existing level of cover is continued with no need for new "pre-existing condition" rules.

Food for thought for us all.