A British mother who gave birth prematurely while on holiday faces a potential £185,000 medical bill after her insurer said it does not have to pay out because of the time difference.
Sharon Halls was attending a friend's wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with her partner Daniel Compton, 35, when she was taken to hospital with early contractions. She later learned that they were brought on by an infection.
The 36-year-old, from Ipswich, Suffolk, gave birth to daughter Evie on September 28 having already paid £8,900 for emergency care. She was 28 weeks and six days pregnant.
The couple have now been forced to set up a GoFundMe page in a desperate bid to raise enough money to move Evie from a public hospital, which they say is dirty.
Sharon, who works for Laura Ashley and says she was told by her British hospital she could travel, wrote on the fundraising site: 'Little Eveie was born breach before I could even lay flat. She was so tiny and blue it took them a few minutes to get a response, but we then heard to our delight a little cry'.
Worst still, Evie 'looked healthy but could not breathe on her own'.
Attempting to understand the actions of her insurers, Sharon goes on to say, 'I would have been covered if I had an emergency caesarean'.
She goes on to describe the substandard conditions in the public hospital they have been forced to move to: 'The sanitation and level of care is next to nothing, she was placed in dirty incubator lined up next to other sick new born babies (15 plus in room).
'The equipment was old and even the blanket she laid on was stained and ripped. Only the mother can visit for half an hour so Daniel was unable to see her. No one spoke English so I was left feeling very alone and unsure.'
The couple estimate if they move Evie back to a private hospital the cost of her charges will be £1,640 ($2,500) a day.
Doctors have advised she could be made to stay for 16 weeks, which would see the bill reach £185,000 ($280,000).
Their fundraising page has already raised more than £16,000 in 24 hours.
Mirror Online has contacted Infinity Insurance Solutions for comment.
