What kind of idiot????

Therickmachine

Hospital demanded €13k to save mother

RESCUE: Generous Irishwoman steps in to pay the bill

A DUBLIN woman who became seriously ill in the Dominican Republic after a wedding has undergone life-saving surgery.

Mother of four Donna Vickers (53), from Tallaght, suffered a heart attack days after her nephew's wedding, but medics were refusing to operate until the family paid $18,000 (e13,250).

However, an Irishwoman whose husband is from the Dominican Republic heard of Donna's plight and came up the the cash.

"She had the operation and it was a success," said Katherine Ridgeway, who married her partner Peter in the Caribbean holiday destination on Monday.

Katherine said the woman who came forward has been "absolutely fantastic".

"My husband Peter's mother and father are in Santo Domingo, close to the hospital, and the lady has been with them all day. She's been a great help," the newlywed told the Herald.

Donna's family and friends were attempting to have the cash wired from a fundraising effort in Dublin. "I was hoping we were going to get that money today but we were told a wire transfer takes between three and five days," Katherine said.

Surgeons refused to operate until "some sort of money was paid". The hospital wanted €13,250 ($18,000) but accepted €10,000, provided by the donor.

Donna has no travel insurance and is not covered by her relatives' insurance.

The family had thought of moving Donna to another hospital but were told she was too ill to move.

Katherine added: "She is lucky to be alive and needed that operation. They let her stay in the hospital but would not go ahead with the operation."

Guests were preparing to travel home on Wednesday when Donna was rushed from the airport to hospital.

Doctors concluded she needed life-saving surgery.

However, they refused to carry out the operation until the deposit was paid, and threatened to discharge her.

hnews@herald.

See http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/hospital-demanded-euro13k-to-save-mother-1741696.html for full story.

What the headline fails to mention (whilst critisizing the Dominican rep) is that the lady DID NOT have holiday insurance. What kind of imbecile visits a third world country without travel insurance? It defies belief....
I cannot believe people were asked to contribute to a cause that she wouldn t be in but for her own unbelievable stupidity.:mad:
Critizing the hostpital is a bit late when she shouldn t have got on a plane without insurance.
All it costs is 40-50€ for year long coverage - baffling how anyone could even think of setting foot outside of Europe without!

and if she can afford a trip to the Dominican republic.......
I just hope she pays all the people who donated back. I could think of a thousand worthier charities :rolleyes:

stovelid

Very glad she didn't die.

Delighted to see the kindness of the person who helped.

No rants here.

af_thefragile

And the newspaper is criticizing a third world country to go out of its way to afford some Irish women's health care??

That is stupid... And so is the women to go there without health insurance.

Biggins

Can you make that print a bit bigger, my wife at the other end of the room says she wants to read it from her seat!

6th

Therickmachine wrote: »

Donna has no travel insurance and is not covered by her relatives' insurance.

What the headline fails to mention (whilst critisizing the Dominican rep) is that the lady DID NOT have holiday insurance.

but it does mention it .. doesn't it (said like Will in the Inbetweeners)

Red_Marauder

But it does mention that she doesn't have insurance, at least in the extract above.

I'm not an idiot, and I've never had travel insurance, not in India or Capetown, not in London, not anywhere.

Though, I am The Invincible, so...

It's great that she's alright anyway.

stovelid

Biggins wrote: »

Can you make that print a bit bigger, my wife at the other end of the room says she wants to read it from her seat!

It's called the Outrage Font.

Local-womanizer

They could have least operated before they recieved the money then not have let her leave.

Letting someone die because they have no money is stupid,even more stupid than not taking out travel insurance tbh.

stovelid

Local-womanizer wrote: »

Letting someone die because they have no money is stupid,even more stupid than not taking out travel insurance tbh.

No.

Not having travel insurance is stupid.

Letting someone die because they have no money is obscene.

Local-womanizer

stovelid wrote: »

No.

Not having travel insurance is stupid.

Letting someone die because they have no money is obscene.

true.

Sharpshooter

10 grand to save a persons life and a stranger paid it.
There is hope for humanity after all.
What a brilliant story.

Hazys

Local-womanizer wrote: »

They could have least operated before they recieved the money then not have let her leave.

Letting someone die because they have no money is stupid,even more stupid than not taking out travel insurance tbh.

That would be kidnapping.

To be fair to the hospital, 13,000 euro is a lot of money in the DR, if they did it for free it could have bankrupted the hospital.

Fair enough the hospital/gov should pay if the person cant afford health insurance in Ireland or the US, not so fair when a 1st world person travelling to a poorer country, doesnt bother to take out travel insurance but can afford the flights to travel to the caribbean, and expects a freebie

Hazys

stovelid wrote: »

No.

Not having travel insurance is stupid.

Letting someone die because they have no money is obscene.

I guess they must be giving free caribbean trips at the dole office instead of money these days

stovelid

Hazys wrote: »

I guess they must be giving free caribbean trips at the dole office instead of money these days

I guess deportations are judged on a case by case basis.

af_thefragile

stovelid wrote: »

No.

Not having travel insurance is stupid.

Letting someone die because they have no money is obscene.

Hey its a 3rd world country where they have to make choices.
They only have limited resources and have to spend them wisely.
They don't have the resources and money to treat every person that gets sick.

Hence you can't call it obscene but rather the harsh reality of life in the 3rd world.
If you can't face it, then maybe you shouldn't leave your "developed world" bubble in the first place.

stovelid

af_thefragile wrote: »

Hence you can't call it obscene but rather the harsh reality of life in the 3rd world. If you can't face it, then maybe you shouldn't leave your "developed world" bubble in the first place.

Inter-rail was the best time of my life too. I'm getting a horn just thinking about it now.

af_thefragile

sorry, forgot this is AH....

This is why I hate these shít countries and also the people who drag others to them for a "tropical paradise" wedding in the arse of one of these dumps.

Rented Mule

Rojomcdojo wrote: »

This is why I hate these shít countries and also the people who drag others to them for a "tropical paradise" wedding in the arse of one of these dumps.

Like the heath care is much better in this country.

The hospitals here admit you, but you die on a table waiting to be seen.

stovelid

af_thefragile wrote: »

sorry, forgot this is AH....

No worries.

When your attention is diverted by a unique, comrade-level appreciation of the harsh realities of the third world, you can't be expected to keep track of the frivolous niceties of internet activity in the developed world bubble.

It happens to the best of us.

Red_Marauder

I blame Shell for this.

stovelid

stovelid wrote: »

Letting someone die because they have no money is obscene.

and yet it happens every single day in developing countries.

Very nice of that lady to save a life and I am thankful that the woman is still alive but for the sake of €50 the woman could have saved herself.

FruitLover

Darwin is spinning in his grave...

Sharpshooter

FruitLover wrote: »

Darwin is spinning in his grave...

Well he should get an award for that.

Red_Marauder

Red_Marauder wrote: »

I blame Shell for this.

:pac: funny

stovelid

Deleted User wrote: »

and yet it happens every single day in developing countries.

No way?

Placid_Casual

My sister died while on holidays in China. If she hadn't had travel insurance god knows how we would have got her home - it certainly would have been at immense expense to my family.

Anyone who travels without travel insurance is taking a great risk and not just for themselves.

Therickmachine

But it does mention that she doesn't have insurance, at least in the extract above.

I said THE HEADLINE not THE ARTICLE !!!
Font size just changed when I put in quote (dunno why)

Well if someone can afford a trip like that they can afford holiday insurance............
Its Just sheer madness to go to a country like that without insurance. Not to mention the costs her family would have incurred if she had died.
There are FAR more deserving charity cases out there for people who are in circumstances through no fault of their own.

Anyone who travels without travel insurance is taking a great risk and not just for themselves.

Agreed 100%.

Letting someone die because they have no money is obscene.

Yes but YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT is the situation before you go abroad! I would never dream of going to the US (for example) without insurance. You d probably be left lying there or face an astronomical bill (you hear all the horror stories)
These days there is no excuse for sheer ignorance about travel

994

Local-womanizer wrote: »

They could have least operated before they recieved the money then not have let her leave.

Letting someone die because they have no money is stupid,even more stupid than not taking out travel insurance tbh.

Yes, but working for free isn't always possible. And she would also consume hospital resources.

6th

Therickmachine wrote: »

I said THE HEADLINE not THE ARTICLE !!!

If thats the case then they dont mention the Dominican rep in the headline either so your complaint is still failtastic.

Red_Marauder

Therickmachine wrote: »

I said THE HEADLINE not THE ARTICLE !!!

Ah, I take your point but which headline is more appealing:


Hospital demanded €13k to save mother
RESCUE: Generous Irishwoman steps in to pay the bill

or

Woman goes on hols without Travel Insurance!!!!1!

Capt'n Midnight

Hazys wrote: »

I guess they must be giving free caribbean trips at the dole office instead of money these days

a good while back in the UK they were refurbishing council flats in winter (in scotland / up north ?) and found it was cheaper to sent then to an out of season resourt in spain for a few months than to put them up locally