A retired pub landlord who was held hostage by a Turkish hospital for weeks after falling ill on holiday without insurance has been forced to pay £25,000 to be able to return home.
Malcolm Stocker, 68, began to suffer from an upset stomach two days before the end of a two-week trip to Marmaris with his girlfriend Jane.
He was admitted to Ahu Hospital, where doctors said he was suffering from pneumonia and put him in an induced coma with a medical respirator for two weeks.
But when the grandfather recovered, the hospital refused to discharge him until his family paid the first half of the £49,000 medical bill they said he had racked up.
Her distraught children said hiring a lawyer helped them reduce the bill to £25,000 and they launched a fundraiser to help pay the “exorbitant” sum.
More than £17,000 was raised, the family footed the rest of the bill and after more than a month of “hell”, Mr Stocker is now at home in Exmouth, Devon.
Malcolm Stocker’s family have said it is a “huge relief” to have their grandfather back home in Devon.
The retired pub owner was put into an induced coma and intubated before being brought out and heavily sedated, his family said.
Emma-Jane Stocker, 37, from Bournemouth, and her father Malcolm Stocker, 68, from Exmouth
His son Lee, 42, said: “It’s a huge relief for Dad to be back home. It’s been an absolute nightmare not knowing what was going to happen from one day to the next.
“The cost is just ridiculous, it seems as if the hospital is making up figures. I hired a solicitor and he managed to get it reduced from £49,000 to £25,000.
“It’s extortion. It is said that hospitals there like to charge five times more to foreigners, I don’t know how they get away with it.”
“Everyone who has donated is absolutely wonderful. Without all the help and support from the people who have donated, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Stocker’s daughter Emma-Jane also thanked those who donated and said her father would still be in Turkey without their help.
The 33-year-old added that her father is now at home recovering and is awaiting tests to ensure his health is okay.
Mr Stocker and his partner flew to Turkey on 7 May for a two-week holiday.
Ahu Hospital in Marmaris, Türkiye, where Mr Stocker has been in an intensive care unit.
Due to several pre-existing conditions, he was denied medical insurance for the trip, but still decided to go knowing he was not covered in case of an emergency.
Just two days before he was due to fly home, Mr Stocker fell ill with a stomach bug and was admitted to hospital on 19 May.
He was severely dehydrated and Her sodium and potassium levels were found to be dangerously low.
A chest X-ray showed he had pneumonia and he was placed in a medical coma and intubated for two weeks before emerging from it.
That’s when his family learned of the mounting medical bill.
Emma-Jane said she had heard reports of other foreign patients being unnecessarily sedated in Turkish hospitals to increase medical bills.
During his ordeal, he said: “It’s like they’re holding you hostage and not releasing you until you pay the first £20,000. They don’t give us an itemised invoice or any documents. It all seems like a fabrication.”
Ms Stocker, who works as a medical secretary, flew to see her father with her older sister Kerry-Ann, 37.
He said few hospital staff spoke English and had not been allowed access to any of its doctors.
Malcolm Stocker, pictured before he fell ill, has been in intensive care for almost a month.
Lee, a taxi driver from Weymouth, was determined to stay by his father’s side and spent six and a half weeks with him in Turkey, while his employer Weyline kindly paid for his hotel.
After returning to Britain, Malcolm stopped off at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester for a check-up before returning home to Exmouth.
Lee added: “Dad is doing well. He is still not feeling well and is having mobility issues after seven weeks in bed.
‘He still has a long way to go and we are scheduling doctor’s appointments for blood tests and other things to figure out exactly what’s going on.
“It has been a headache but we are very happy to be home.”
Emma-Jane said: ‘If anything comes out of this, we hope it will help raise awareness.
‘Please never travel without insurance and find yourself in this situation. Save yourself weeks of hell and struggle!’
MailOnline has contacted Ahu Hospital for comment.
