While on holidays, most of us take the opportunity to get up close and personal with the local attractions. Paris’ Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Giza, China’s Great Wall—perhaps Uluru if you’re a little closer to home.
And while you’re busy seeing the sites, the last thing you would ever expect is to injure yourself—cutting short your holiday. So what would you do if you were stuck in a foreign country, desperate for medical treatment, only to be told by your hospital that you aren’t covered by your travel insurance?
Peter Murphy was holidaying with his brother’s family on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands—well known for its 300 plus volcanos. After photographing a sunrise on top of the Camino Del Vulcan, Peter made his way back home along a narrow bitumen road. He moved to the edge of the road to let a car pass when he lost his balance, falling and breaking his ankle. His family later found him lying at the foot of the volcano in agony. He was also suffering from nausea, loss of vision and eventually he fell unconscious.
Shortly after he arrived at the private hospital in Lanzarote, Peter was told by a staff member that his insurance policy wasn’t valid in Spain, and he was quickly moved to the island’s public hospital. Once there his doctor told him it would take almost a week to be operated on and in the meantime it would cost up to 450 euros (about A$640) a night for a hospital bed.
After hearing this news, Peter’s family called the private hospital with the offer to pay for all of his medical costs—5000 to 8000 euros, including a deposit of 6000 euros to be paid up-front. Thankfully, the family found the money to cover the costs and Peter was sent back to the private hospital. By this stage, more than seven hours after the accident, Peter was exhausted, dehydrated and still suffering from incredible pain.
Meanwhile, Peter’s partner Sallie who was back in Australia contacted Mondial Assistance to make us aware of his accident and his experiences in hospital. We immediately contacted the hospital to confirm Peter’s cover and our office in Barcelona started coordinating his treatment. Peter was operated on the very next day and recovered with a wonderful view of the Camino Del Vulcan—the very spot where his ordeal began!
One week after his accident, we arranged for Peter to be repatriated back to Australia. We covered all of his medical treatment and his family was refunded for all of their out-of-pocket expenses.
Today Peter is back home in the loving arms of Sallie, where he continues his work as an eco-tour operator and a writer.
Quotes from Peter:
“The first thing I thought while I was stuck in this precarious situation in a strange land was my partner Sallie, how I’d get back to Australia, work, my planned trip to Africa with my brother and of course—whether my travel insurance would cover my accident. The relief I felt when I heard I was insured and you were already arranging my return home was overwhelming.”
“I cannot express enough gratitude to the staff at Mondial Assistance for their excellent networking, communication and organisational skills.”
“Travel insurance is a must, but make sure that you check your policy is fully comprehensive and is accepted in every country you intend to travel to, including the respective country’s private and public hospital system.”