Wednesday, 1 February 2017

Nigerian mum of quadruplets stranded in UK over £.5m hospital bill

Nigerian mum who had quadruplets in London hospital three months premature can’t afford £500,000 bill.

Pricillia, 43, was on her way back to Nigeria from the US when she went into labour. Two of her babies did not survive.

She owes the National Health Services more than £500,000 after giving birth to quadruplets shortly after landing in the UK.

The 43-year-old, known as Pricillia, said she was unable to pay the bill after having the babies at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in west London.

She said she intended to give birth in Chicago where she has family after her doctor said Nigerian hospitals do not have the “facilities to cater for the children.”

But she was turned away from the US after failing to show she could pay for the birth and went into labour in London in November on her return journey to Nigeria.

Priscilla is currently staying at a hostel run by a charity and is unable to afford the bill.

Her husband is in Nigeria, and cannot come to Britain to help take care of her as he does not have enough money for a visa or the flight.

Staff estimate that the total bill for the highly complex birth and the care of the babies — of which only two have survived — is already more than £500,000.

The case is just one revealed BBC 2 documentary Hospital which exposes the pressures of health tourism on one London trust.

When first warned of the high treatment costs by overseas visitor manager Terry Facey, Pricillia said: “I didn’t plan to come here.

“It’s only money. Money can’t buy life. The last bill I had was £331,000 but – even if I worked every day – I would never earn that much money. My kids are priceless.”

Mr. Facey, who has worked at the trust for 12 years trying to collect bills for overseas patients, said: ‘Those invoices are going to be huge … 20 grand a week for each baby (in intensive care).

“We will gently push forward and do what we have to do, we’re governed by the rules and regulations. They seem a bit fruitless at times.”

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