Australian mum appeals for funds to bring 'trapped' father home from Thailand hospital

[webfact]

Adelaide mum appeals for funds to bring 'trapped' father home from Thailand hospital

ADELAIDE: -- A former Darwin school teacher has been left "trapped" in a Thai hospital, with no money left to pay his bills or find a way back to Australia where he can get the treatment he requires.

Now the daughter of 71-year-old Malcolm Taylor has made an impassioned public plea to raise the funds to bring him home.

Mother-of-two Susan Monaghan, who now lives in Adelaide, has been living a nightmare since January when her father fell head-first onto the pavement on the way home from a bar in Bangkok.

The former school teacher from Darwin was initially taken by ambulance to a local hospital in the Thai capital.

Thai officials then transferred Mr Taylor to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, a private hospital, under the false assumption he had private health insurance.

The private hospital bills have skyrocketed to about $80,000, according to his daughter, and neither Mr Taylor nor his family are able to pay them.

The hospital has offered to waive the fees if his family can organise his transfer from the facility as soon as possible, but that raises another problem; due to the 71-year old's precarious condition, he requires a medical evacuation back to Australia. Mrs Monaghan has been quoted $57,000 to organise the procedure.

Full story: http://www.9news.com.au/health/2015/03/05/11/27/adelaide-mum-appeals-for-funds-to-bring-father-stuck-in-thailand-home-for-medical-treatment

-- 9NEWS 2015-03-05[/b]

[BMF1960]

He is 71 and he travels without insurance! Now that is what I call foolish!

[colinneil]

Beyond belief that at 71 he visits Thailand without insurance.

In fact its bloody stupid.

Whilst i feel sorry for him, i cannot understand people going without insurance.

Now his daughter wants others to pay for his medi-vac back to Australia.

[Saharat]

WoW... Fair enough.....
"The hospital has offered to waive the fees if his family can organize his transfer from the facility as soon as possible."

[Fiddlesticks]

Let me see, he has enough money to come over to Thailand, then has enough to get s#@t-faced in a Bangkok bar BUT does not have money for insurance! Seems his priorities are in order!

[tif]

What's a 71 year old man doing travelling alone here to Thailand? Rhetorical question. Particularly when you consider the silly old fool 'fell when exiting a bar'. Som nom na, as they say hereabouts.

[ddavidovsky]

Travel insurance apparently doesn't cover you if you have an accident while drunk.

[Costas2008]

What's a 71 year old man doing travelling alone here to Thailand? Rhetorical question. Particularly when you consider the silly old fool 'fell when exiting a bar'. Som nom na, as they say hereabouts.

Life stops when we die.

Up to then, everybody has the right to enjoy his life.

Yes, he should have insurance but it's very wrong of you criticizing him just because he wanted to enjoy the last years of his life.

Probably you are still young, but when you come to our age you will be looking at life from a different angle.

[samuibeachcomber]

any of us can have accidents when we least expect it.yes he should have had medical cover but did n't,now his daughter is left to pick up the pieces,very inconsiderate of dad!

Lets hope for the daughter's sake there are still generous and compassionate people left in australia with a good bank balance.

[tif]

What's a 71 year old man doing travelling alone here to Thailand? Rhetorical question. Particularly when you consider the silly old fool 'fell when exiting a bar'. Som nom na, as they say hereabouts.

Life stops when we die.

Up to then, everybody has the right to enjoy his life.

Yes, he should have insurance but it's very wrong of you criticizing him just because he wanted to enjoy the last years of his life.

Probably you are still young, but when you come to our age you will be looking at life from a different angle.

1. No, it doesn't.

2. If that's the way he found to 'enjoy' himself, again, som nom na.

3. No, I most certainly don't.

[tif]

any of us can have accidents when we least expect it.yes he should have had medical cover but did n't,now his daughter is left to pick up the pieces,very inconsiderate of dad!

Lets hope for the daughter's sake there are still generous and compassionate people left in australia with a good bank balance.

She should just bloody leave him there. And why should those who have presumably worked for their 'good bank balance' feel they have to shell out for the consequences of this silly old man's actions. I could think of a thousand ways my 'charity' would be far better spent.

[Neeranam]

The evils of alcohol.

I think it's the hospital's fault for admitting him without checking if he had insurance.

Once in a drunken previous life they wheeled me out in pyjamas to the ATM to get cash out. That was Nontavej Hospital in Nontaburi.

[Chonburiram]

Do pensioned aussie teachers have to live on the poverty line? Can't believe this...

[bangkokfrog]

What a bunch of thoughtless people here who like to engage their keyboards before properly engaging brain.

Just because he fell while coming home from a bar does not automatically make him drunk. I am not saying he wasn't, but am sure that most of you have experienced Thai footpaths, which are an accident waiting to happen for unsuspecting older tourists (especially at night).

Also, injured in Bangkok and transferred from a local hospital to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital? If his injuries were that serious, he should have been transferred to the nearest Bangkok hospital with appropriate facilities... or not as big a commission?

[Oziex1]

I have insurance for this and that, but in general I loath it. Legalised extortion, however health insurance is a priority.

[Commerce]

Good old Embassies. What would we do without them.

[greenchair]

Some people can't afford insurance. 3,000 baht a month is huge for some people.

What a lovely hospital. Putting health before money.

Once again if I knew where to donate I would put in a bit.

[simple1]

<snip>

Once again if I knew where to donate I would put in a bit.

From the OP link:

By Thursday morning more than $12,000 had been raised, but more than $40,000 is still required. If you would like to help bring Susan Monaghan's father Malcolm home, donations can be made by visiting http://www.gofundme.com/bringmalcolmhome

[Sviss Geez]

What's a 71 year old man doing travelling alone here to Thailand? Rhetorical question. Particularly when you consider the silly old fool 'fell when exiting a bar'. Som nom na, as they say hereabouts.

On the contrary, it is your comment that marks you out as the silly fool.

[Sviss Geez]

Travel insurance apparently doesn't cover you if you have an accident while drunk.

He was drunk? Where did it say that?

[Sviss Geez]

What's a 71 year old man doing travelling alone here to Thailand? Rhetorical question. Particularly when you consider the silly old fool 'fell when exiting a bar'. Som nom na, as they say hereabouts.

Life stops when we die.

Up to then, everybody has the right to enjoy his life.

Yes, he should have insurance but it's very wrong of you criticizing him just because he wanted to enjoy the last years of his life.

Probably you are still young, but when you come to our age you will be looking at life from a different angle.

1. No, it doesn't.

2. If that's the way he found to 'enjoy' himself, again, som nom na.

3. No, I most certainly don't.

1, Yes, it most certainly does.

2. What "way" was it that he was enjoying himself that is different to a huge percentage of people worldwide and so reprehensible that you reckon it serves him right?

[Sviss Geez]

any of us can have accidents when we least expect it.yes he should have had medical cover but did n't,now his daughter is left to pick up the pieces,very inconsiderate of dad!

Lets hope for the daughter's sake there are still generous and compassionate people left in australia with a good bank balance.

She should just bloody leave him there. And why should those who have presumably worked for their 'good bank balance' feel they have to shell out for the consequences of this silly old man's actions. I could think of a thousand ways my 'charity' would be far better spent.

"I could think of a thousand ways my 'charity' would be far better spent."

You seem to be suggesting you have some charity.

Your insensitive ranting seems to be blinding you to the fact that no-one is being forced to feel that they should have to contribute anything.

[ezzra]

The Australian PM and FM are too busy trying to save the hide of two drug runners

not paying heed or help to the real Aussies in need.... what a disgrace....

[ronrat]

Channel 9 could have paid her money for the story, they are not adverse to that, to help pay.

[AlphMichaels]

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Some people can't afford insurance. 3,000 baht a month is huge for some people.
What a lovely hospital. Putting health before money.
Once again if I knew where to donate I would put in a bit.

$ 3000 THB/Month sounds quite low for a plan to cover a 71 year old. I carry a decent policy now at 56 that runs me $ 52,000 for the year. Likely to go up next year. If there's a good plan out there at $ 36,000, I'd love to know about it.

Agree on hospital's move. Noteworthy.

[steven100]

Dear Susan Monaghan,

You need to contact the media organisation office in Australia and ask them to cover your plight / story on one of the television networks over there.

They have the resources and any good coverage will certainly guarantee enough could be raised to get your father repatriated to Adelaide.

[Julie H]

So what happens to injured or ill foreigners who have no way of covering costs? Old guy is lucky he is Australian & has family

[TheSwede99]

Some people can't afford insurance. 3,000 baht a month is huge for some people.

What a lovely hospital. Putting health before money.

Once again if I knew where to donate I would put in a bit.

Where can he find an insurance policy for 3000 baht a month?

If it is possible to buy insurance at all at his age, it will probably cost 5,000 baht per month minimum.

[monkey4u]

Don't be too harsh with your criticism

Most travel insurance companies WONT insure people over 70

[rethaier]

He is 71 and he travels without insurance! Now that is what I call foolish!

It is difficult to find travel insurance if over 70.