Grandmother ‘held hostage’ in Turkish hospital and won’t be released until family pay first £100,000

A British grandmother is being ‘held hostage’ in a Turkish intensive care unit as doctors say she has run up a £190,000 medical bill and they will not release her to be flown home to the UK until her family pay the first £100,000.

The family of a 79-year-old grandmother are pleading for help by the public to help them return her to the UK as she is currently being held in a hospital in Antalya, Turkey.

Lucy Groves, the daughter of the British woman, said that her mother went on a holiday to Turkey to meet friends, however, during the holiday she became ‘seriously unwell’ and suffered a heart attack. 

The grandmother was intubated and had to have an emergency triple heart bypass surgery in order to save her life.

Although her daughter rushed to be at her side, she then fell ill from pneumonia and had to be reintubated to rest her lungs. After five days the hospital were required to wake the grandmother, but she suffered from bleeding to her stomach muscles and was reintubated for a third time.

The family of a 79-year-old grandmother are pleading for help by the public to help them return her to the UK 

Her daughter, Lucy Groves, worries for her mother who is alone in a ‘strange country’

Lucy revealed that she is now conscious but still critical and in intensive care in the foreign hospital.

She has only been able to briefly contact her mother three times through WhatsApp and worries that ‘she is alone in a strange country and not really aware of what’ she’s been through.’

The family initially believed that her insurance would cover the medical bills, which have racked up to £190,000, however, they were told that her policy is void due to not declaring a medical condition prior to the incident.

The family are ‘devastated’ and concerned for their mother as they ‘don’t have that sort of money to pay’.

Lucy set up a fundraiser and is ‘begging for any help no matter how small’ to get her mother home as the hospital cannot move her and will be holding her passport until £100,000 is paid.

She said: ‘I really hate to do this and anyone that knows me knows I don’t like to ask for help but on this occasion I really need it

‘As a family we are devastated and doing everything we can to try and pay in order to repatriated her back to the UK as soon as she is well enough to travel.’

In an updated post yesterday, Lucy thanked people for their donations and support during this difficult period.

The hospital where the grandmother is currently staying have refused the family’s requests to video call their mother until the payments are settled

She added that after speaking with the Turkish consulate, the family were promised a video call with their mother but were disappointed when they were instead asked to settle the payments. 

After explaining that they did not yet have the funds, they were refused the video call.

The 79-year-old’s worried daughter said the family are ‘just hoping mum doesn’t think we’ve abandoned her in a strange country.’ 

To donate to the fundraiser, click here.