How to Watch UK TV Channels Outside of the UK? I'll give you a simple trick that will explain how to watch UK TV channels live abroad. Now you can watch all of your favorite UK TV programmes while you are away from home without VPN with 1Fakt.com
- Do YOU have a story? Email tips@dailymail.com
A British mother stranded in Turkey is pleading for help after her boyfriend was hospitalised in Antalya, stunning the couple with more than £17,000 in medical bills.
Courtney Lee, from Salford, told the Daily Mail that her boyfriend, Mark Snelgrove, was taken to the Lara Anatolia Hospital in Antalya after falling from an 'eight metre' wall and hitting the back of his head in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Miss Lee said the private hospital demanded 5,000 euro (£4,333) within half an hour of them arriving, before Mr Snelgrove had even had his wound stapled. The fee would cover CT scans and the ambulance ride to hospital, she said.
The bill soon grew. Mr Snelgrove has been in hospital only since Sunday. But, without insurance, the private hospital presented a ludicrous fee of 15,000 euro (£13,000) to cover his stay in the intensive care unit until Monday, Miss Lee said.
The figure does not cover the days to come, and Mr Snelgrove is expected to stay in hospital for 'up to three weeks', currently unfit to fly.
Miss Lee, a mother of three, gave birth just seven weeks ago and desperately needs to return home to her children. She also does not want to leave Mark languishing in an a hospital with fees mounting.
After what was began as a 'good holiday to get teeth done', the young mother recognises the easily made mistake in not taking out insurance.
But in a warning to all, she now finds herself navigating a terrifying situation, on her own, medical bills rising as she tries to work around the language barrier to ensure her partner is well looked after. She is appealing for help through GoFundMe to 'get Mark home'.
Courtney Lee and Mark Snelgrove had travelled to the resort city on Turkey's southern coast to 'get their teeth done' when the trip took a turn for the worse.
Mr Snelgrove was unconscious for 'about five minutes' after the fall, with Miss Lee fearing that he had died.
Her partner lay on the floor, 'blood pouring out of his head', as friends rallied to try to keep him talking and awake, Miss Lee said.
In a panic, they called on a local to help, who summoned police and an ambulance to take Mr Snelgrove to hospital.
The fees for the private hospital compounded quickly while her boyfriend was in intensive care. Miss Lee says this is 'one of the dearest places' on site.
'Me, myself, I don't feel like Mark needs to be there. But ... I don't know if they're refusing to take him down to the normal ward until we do pay this money.'
Mark was taken out of intensive care on Monday. But already they had been told they needed to pay 5,000 euro for the ambulance and CT scan, and a further 15,000 for the stay in the ICU.
She said after he was removed that they will continue to be charged each day, and anything staff do hence will be added to the bill.
'Mark mentioned they told him [he may have to stay] up to three weeks ... but it definitely won't be tomorrow. It's going to take time as it is bad,' she said on Monday.
Miss Lee is also trying to navigate an unfamiliar healthcare system in a foreign country on her partner's behalf without speaking the language. She fears they could take her 'for a fool'.
'Even the police said to me: "Do not pay nothing. Negotiate with them." Because they wanted 5,000 [euro] off me half an hour after I got ... to the hospital. He hadn't even had his staples at this point and they wanted five grand off us.
'That's when I thought, "Are they in it for the money?" I'm so glad Mark is awake, stable and can speak because ... God knows what the hell they would be doing to him.'
For now, Miss Lee is stuck, waiting for updates on her boyfriend's condition. Until Monday afternoon, Mr Snelgrove was being held in the ICU and rarely able to see his girlfriend.
She said the hospital was waiting for the results of a CT scan performed yesterday morning. The news was positive - that he could be moved out of the ICU - but now he requires a stent.
She said she fears the extent of his injuries could be 'life threatening'.
Miss Lee wisely turned to the British Embassy, who, she said, will contact the hospital to try to arrange a payment plan. She has been provided with a translator, but still struggles to be understood.
'The language barrier is so bad. I can't understand anything. [The hospital] is not telling me anything,' Miss Lee said.
She wrote on her fundraising page that she understands Mark suffered a bleed on the brain. 'It’s stable it’s not actively bleeding but it is there.'
But information is desperately scarce as she tries to work out their next move.
'They are not actually showing proof of anything. They said they will give us a breakdown of prices once we have paid what we need to pay.
'They have given us a breakdown of prices, but they won't put it down on paper so I can have it myself until we have paid 15,000 euro.'
Turkey and the UK do not have reciprocal healthcare agreements, and the British government advises buying comprehensive travel and medical insurance before entering the country.
European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) and Global Health Insurance Cards (GHICs) are not valid in Turkey.
British citizens are advised to check they have appropriate travel insurance for local treatment or unexpected medical evacuation.
Even travelling within Europe, a significant injury could cost travellers tens of thousands of pounds without insurance.
The Daily Mail contacted the Lara Anatolia Hospital for comment.