When Allan Cox went on a trip to the Caribbean, he never expected to end up there for longer than a few days.
However, while he was on vacation in the Dominican Republic, he got sick. He needed emergency surgery to remove his pancreas.
However, his insurance company refused to pay for the surgery. They said that because he didn’t declare his pancreas as a pre-existing condition, he would have to pay for the surgery himself.
As a result, he was left with a medical bill of $67,000 and no way to pay it.
When he tried to leave the Dominican Republic, his passport was seized, and now they refuse to hand it back until he pays for treatment.
His family is very worried.
“We are incredibly concerned for Allan’s well-being at the moment,” says his friend, Raymond. “At the end of the day, Allan’s life is at risk, and we need to make sure we get him home, pay off his debts, and get him some medical treatment as soon as possible.”
The hospital wants to discharge Allan on Tuesday. However, he can’t pay his bills, and will be stuck there.
“How on earth is he expected to get home? It’s disgusting,” says Raymond. “He is seriously ill, and we need as much support as we can get before it is too late.”
He was abroad visiting his wife, who lives in the Dominican Republic. They were celebrating their one year anniversary when he fell sick.
“We thought that we could sort out the rest of the payments to the hospital when we got him home, but we can’t. There’s no way that I can get the money quick enough to get my son home and I’m frightened that I’m going to lose him.”
Allan is from Great Britain, and his MP is trying to get him back to his home country.
However, a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that while they want to help as much as they can, they can’t pay for his bills while he’s still overseas.
In the meantime, he’s with his wife. Hopefully he will be called home soon.
