Hospital in Turkey accused of holding Brit grandfather, 68, ‘hostage’
A family of a British grandfather who was put into a coma after falling ill on holiday in Turkey feel he is being ‘held hostage’ until his £41,000 medical bill is paid.
Retired pub landlord Malcolm Stocker, 68, of Exmouth, Devon, has been in an intensive care unit for almost a month after being diagnosed with pneumonia.
His distraught family have been told they must pay half the amount immediately to the hospital in the holiday resort of Marmaris before he can leave.
Mr Stocker’s family feel they feel intimidated by staff at the Ahu Hospital who they claim have refused to give them a breakdown of the medical charges.
‘It is just heartbreaking to see my dad lying in hospital and so helpless,’ said his 37-year-old daughter Emma-Jane Stocker, from Bournemouth.
Emma-Jane Stocker, 37, from Bournemouth, and her father Malcolm Stocker, 68, of Exmouth
Malcolm Stocker, pictured before he fell ill, has been in intensive care for almost a month
‘He doesn’t really know where he is and thinks he is on a cruise ship. He has been out of the induced coma for a while but is just so heavily sedated.
‘We just want to get him home, but until we pay the hospital they are refusing to hand back his passport and are demanding we pay £20,000.
‘We really feel we are being intimidated. My brother Lee is at the hospital, and they told him we not appreciative enough and that they had saved his life.
‘We do appreciate everything they have done, but now all they do is demand we pay the medical bill.’
Retired pub landlord Malcolm Stocker, 68, was put into a coma after falling ill while on holiday
The holiday nightmare began when father-of-three Mr Stocker became dehydrated while on a two-week stay with his girlfriend Jane in the coastal resort of Icmeler.
After initially suffering from an upset stomach, his sodium and potassium levels were found to be dangerously low and he was admitted to hospital.
A chest X-ray showed he had pneumonia and he was placed in a medical coma and intubated.
Despite being brought out of the coma two weeks ago, he has remained heavily sedated.
Emma-Jane Stocker, who works as a medical secretary, flew out to see her father in hospital
Ms Stocker, who works as a medical secretary, flew out to see her father with her older sister Kerry-Ann.
She said few staff at the hospital spoke English and they had not been granted access to any of his doctors.
Ms Stocker added: ‘We were told we could see my father for 15 minutes each day, but after five minutes they would tell us to leave.
‘My father worked on the QE2 cruise liner as a waiter. He is (so) out of it that he thinks he is back on the ship. It is awful to see him lying there so confused.
The Ahu Hospital in Marmaris, Turkey, where Mr Stocker has been in an intensive care unit
‘We have heard from others who have ended up in a Turkish hospital that patients can be deliberately sedated so that they run up more charges.’
Ms Stocker said her father, who had several pre-existing conditions, was refused medical insurance for the trip but still decided to go knowing he was not covered for an emergency.
‘The rights and wrongs about that can be talked about at a later date, when he is safely home,’ she said.
The hospital said Mr Stocker has so far run up a £41,000 bill for an almost month-long stay.
Emma-Jane Stocker says it is ‘heartbreaking to see my dad lying in hospital and so helpless’
Ms Stocker, a mother-of-one, contacted the British Embassy in Turkey to see if they could help, but was told she should consider starting a GoFundMe page to raise money for a medical evacuation flight back to the UK.
She said: ‘We do not have the sort of money that the hospital are asking for. They have my father’s passport and will not release it to the family. We feel he is being held hostage and will not be allowed to leave until the bill has been paid.
‘My brother Lee is at the hospital, and he was first told that we had to pay £20,000 and then in another meeting was told that we were not appreciative enough of what they had done.
‘Of course we are very grateful, but we cannot pay £20,000 now as we do not have that sort of money.’
Emma-Jane Stocker said she went to see her father but few staff at the hospital spoke English
Ms Stocker and her sister have launched a fund raising page with a target of £29,000.
Almost £5,000 has been raised so far and they are hoping to raise enough for the evacuation flight which can cost up to £20,000.
Ms Stocker said: ‘We just want to get our father home. As soon as we raise enough money we can pay the hospital and arrange a flight home.
‘This situation is worsening, with dad still laid up too unwell to leave let alone travel. The hospital will not allow him to leave without payment. We do not know where to turn.’
MailOnline has contacted the Ahu Hospital for comment.
To donate to the family’s appeal, click here for the GoFundMe page
