British gran being ‘held hostage’ at Turkey hospital attributable to payments
The devastated family of a grandmother who is fighting for her life in Turkey have claimed she is being ‘held hostage’ by a ‘prison camp’ hospital who won’t release her until she pays tens of thousands of pounds in medical bills.
Fiona McCusker-Rea, 52, was taken to an Intensive Care Unit at a private hospital in Antalya on Thursday after collapsing onto the floor of her room at the luxury Prenses Sealine Beach Hotel, where she was found covered in her own blood.
The chef, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, has been diagnosed with gastrointestinal hemorrhaging, liver cirrhosis and sepsis – and her children, Cody Wood and Courtney McCusker, are fundraising to repatriate her for treatment.
Mr Wood, who has flown out to the Antalya Private Life Hospital to see his mother, told MailOnline: ‘They are going to hold her hostage unless she pays the full bill which can be over tens of thousands of pounds.’
He added: ‘It’s like a prison camp. That’s what it feels like.’
The 25-year-old also revealed how he walked into a mixed ward to find his mother unconscious and exposed ‘with her breasts out’ on one occasion – and tied to the bed on another.
Mr Wood also shockingly claimed it took 45 minutes for hotel staff to come to her room – at which point they allegedly saw the blood on the floor and said ‘Ew’, shut the door and walked back out.
Fiona McCusker-Rea (left) is pictured with her daughter Courtney and her granddaughter Havana
The grandmother-of-two is currently being treated at the Antalya Private Life Hospital in Turkey
Fiona McCusker-Rea is fighting for her life at a hospital in Turkey. Her son, Cody (pictured together), is desperate to get her home for treatment
Ms McCusker-Rea, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, is pictured at Manchester United’s stadium, Old Trafford
Ms McCusker-Rea had flown to Turkey for a solo holiday after her mother’s death. Her children had advised her against going alone, but she was determined to travel anyway.
Around four days in, Courtney received a FaceTime call from their mother who was on the floor, covered in blood with her ‘eyes rolling around’.
Mr Wood said he then stepped in and immediately called his mother who managed to drag herself onto the bed. She attempted to ring the reception desk but could not get through and started shouting for help but nobody came.
Mr Wood attempted to call the hotel ‘probably 10 or 11 times’ but also couldn’t get through so eventually called the police at home. He said the British police were finally able to get through ‘after 45 minutes’.
‘It was an absolute nightmare, time was of the essence, especially when she was covered in her own blood and vomiting blood. Someone needed to be there in seconds,’ he fumed.
While the police were on their way, Mr Wood was told that hotel staff would support her in the meantime but they did not arrive for another 20 minutes.
He continued: ‘My sister stayed on FaceTime and staff eventually arrived. As they walked into room, blood was all over floor, the hotel staff said ‘Ew’ and shut the room and left her again. At this point I wanted to take heads off.’
Ms McCusker-Rea, 52, who was rushed to an Intensive Care Unit at a private hospital in Antalya, Turkey, on Thurday. She is pictured here on a previous holiday
The mother-of-two is pictured with her husband, Nick Rea
Ms McCusker-Rea had flown to Turkey for a solo holiday after her mother’s death. They are pictured here together
Ms Wood is a mother to Cody (left) and a grandmother to her daughter’s son Finley (right)
Ms McCusker-Rea is pictured with her daughter (left) and her late mother (right)
Mr Wood, a pastoral head of year at a secondary school, said an ambulance came about 40 minutes later and they took her an hour away to the Antalya Private Life Hospital – allegedly disregarding the three state hospitals because ‘there was no ICU’.
‘I don’t believe this,’ he said. ‘Every hospital has an ICU. At this point my mum’s not able to give consent that she wants to go private or state, she was in no position to speak.’
Mr Wood flew out to Turkey on the Friday, rushing straight to the hospital where he was only allowed to spend two minutes with his mother because it ‘was not visiting hours’.
After explaining the situation he was allowed to briefly see her and he said she seemed ‘ok but disorientated.’
‘The next day they said I couldn’t visit until 2.30pm in afternoon,’ he said. ‘I went to visit her. When I arrived she was unconscious, she had deteriorated a lot more. She was fully exposed, they took all her clothes of and left a blanket off her.
‘This is an open mixed ward at the ICU. Her breasts were just out. As a son you don’t want to see that, knowing there’s male and females on the ward. I covered her up and said ‘what’s the craic?’. They said they spoke no English.
The family are desperate to get their mother home. She is pictured here paragliding on a holiday last year
‘It was frustrating, it was upsetting because you wouldn’t want anyone left in a position like that. If you walked in a ward, especially in UK, you wouldn’t see someone fully exposed. It really made me question where she was.’
On another occasion, he explained: ‘One day she was tied to the bed, instantly alarm bells are ringing what’s going on. They later explained that due to hemorrhagic shock, she could be at risk to herself and could risk getting up in confused state.
‘OK it makes sense, but I would expect communication from doctors to let me know what they are doing.’
The family have been told that she could be kept in hospital for several weeks and do not have the money to fund the costly bills.
Mr Wood continued: ‘The hospital here in Turkey, they’ve said they won’t let her leave the hospital even if she is fit or able, unless she pays.
‘The only way she’s able to leave is if she’s medically repatriated with a private jet with specialist equipment and doctors or a commercial jet with doctors.’
Mr Wood says that the hospital do not deem her fit enough to leave on a commercial flight, so they would need to do the private option.
‘We’ve looked into that and had quotes from £35,000 to £49,000. It all varies on what she needs. We are hoping £35,000 would cover the flight and the rest of money would put to medical expenses while here in Turkey.
Cody doesn’t want his mother (pictured together) to be ‘exploited’
‘At the moment she can’t move at all. She’s on bed 24 hours a day seven days a week.
‘That’s where the costs are going to continue rising – in hospital. Someone else told us it is £1,500 to £2,500 a day to be there but the hospital have failed to share the costs.
‘It’s just a situation I wouldn’t wish upon anybody. I read other articles about hospitals keeping people prisoners until they pay their bill. We just want her back as quick as possible.
‘At the moment she’s not with it, she can’t speak, she can barely open here eyes. For me, it feels everything is about the money here. They want to get as much money as possible so every day she doesn’t pay will be another day she owes another £1,500.
‘I don’t want to be exploited while she’s here because she doesn’t speak the language, they don’t know the ins and outs. I’m scared she’s going to be exploited.
‘It’s a holiday from hell. You expect to come on holiday to have a good time and relax. You don’t expect a £50,000 medical bill, whatever it’s going to be. It’s not what you expect.’
The family believe the likelihood of claiming the money on insurance is ‘slim to none’ due to pre-existing medical conditions.
Mr Wood says he appreciates that the hospital have been caring for her but he does not agree with some of the methods of how they have looked after her.
