Baby born prematurely abroad - any help with medical expenses?

koalamummy

not sure if this is at all helpful to the OP but I vaguely remember that a man I worked with when I was younger paid a sum every month to the foreign and commonwealth office which was as a result of them paying medical and repatriation fees for his daughter who became seriously ill whilst abroad. Sorry I dont know any other details at all as it was a long time ago and I was 16 and didnt really see the world beyond myself and my friends at that point. The only thing I do remember is that they definitely insist on being paid back.

They may not be able to help the op but as far as I know their function is to help British nationals who get into difficulty abroad and a father being unable to pay his childs necessary life supporting medical expenses seems to fit that criteria.

puddy

Nicki wrote: »

No but they would do if I had no permanent UK residence, I was not married, my "partner" was obviously not a UK national and the child looked mixed race or the same race as the "partner"

Do you even know whether it is possible to register the father on a Thai birth certificate if the couple aren't married? It isn't always done here, even if the couple are still together. Think Ed Milliband for example.

I did not say the child would definitely not be entitled to treatment. I said they may not be, as is the case. You seem very sure that any Tom !!!!!! or Harry can turn up with a child born overseas and get free treatment from them, and I am still far from convinced that is the case.

i didnt turn it into a racial issue as it isnt, but you seemed to imply that because a father turns up at the GPs with a child that may look like its mother that somehow questions are automatically asked.

i know plenty of friends, and clients who have been out of the country for longer than 3 months but who are UK citizens and who for all intents and purposes are habitually resident and who have never encountered or even considered that they may encounter problems accessing health care

fawd1

he and his child may well be entitled to free health care here. I remember looking it up for my brother when he and his pregnant wife moved back to the UK after a couple of years abroad. Even her GP surgery told her no until she produced this info:

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_family/health/nhs_charges_for_people_from_abroad.htm

fawd1

this might be a page worth looking at as well. Good to know the consul will try and do something to help

http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/when-things-go-wrong/if-you-are-seriously-ill-or

neverdespairgirl

niknaks wrote: »

The mother is not from the UK, nor is she Thai (from the Philipines), it is the just the father that is British. He is currently working out there.

I agree about the insurance, of course, but it is the baby I am thinking about.

I just wondered if there was a emergency relief fund or something to help.

No, nothing I'm aware of.

This is why you do need to have medical insurance abroad, or an E111 form (whatever it's called now) in the EU.

neverdespairgirl

Nicki wrote: »

Could the baby not come into the country with its mother on a visitors visa with a Phillipine passport by the way? You and Puddy are making a lot of assumptions to support a claim that the child definitely would be treated for free. I am not saying it definitely wouldn't be, but I wouldn't wager any serious money on it being treated free either.

In my experience, the mother of a UK national who is herself an non-EU national will have great difficulty getting a visitor's visa.

neverdespairgirl

euronorris wrote: »

If they were paying National Insurance and Tax, they should still be entitled to NHS care AFAIK.

You need to be "habitually resident" to qualify for NHS care.

donteatthat

Nicki wrote: »

The official guidance is that anyone presenting at an NHS hospital will be treated but that those who don't qualify for free treatment will have to pay for the privilege. In practice I understand A and E is free at the point of use and billed later, but outpatient treatment and hospital admissions are billed and paid for up front.

This isn't actually correct - in the UK the treatment will be given and the bill settled later.
There was a program recently on the SCBU at Liverpool Womens Hospital and a couple were admitted as the wife had their baby very early. They were from Iran I think. They didn't have insurance and were staying with family. The bill for the baby's care was £175,000. They contacted their embassy and their government agreed to pay.
The best advice I think would be for the mother to contact the Phillipine embassy / government and see if they are willing to settle the bill. Or the father could contact the UK embassy, although if he has no legal parental rights I wouldn't think they would help him.

fawd1

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

You need to be "habitually resident" to qualify for NHS care.

Nope. See below taken from CAB website.

You can receive free NHS hospital treatment if you:-

• have been living legally in the UK for at least 12 months when you start treatment, and did not come to the UK for private medical treatment. Temporary absences from the UK of up to three months (in England, up to 182 days) are ignored
• have come to the UK to take up permanent residence, for example, if you are a former UK resident who has returned from abroad, or if you have been granted leave to enter or remain as a spouse
• have come to the UK to work, either as an employee or self-employed person. In England and Wales, if you are employed, your employer's main place of business must be in the UK or be registered in the UK. This could be, for example, a branch of an overseas company. If you are self-employed your main place of business must be in the UK
• normally work in the UK, but are temporarily working abroad for less than five years. You also need to have lived in the UK continuously for at least ten years before going overseas.
• In Scotland, you normally work in the UK but are temporarily working abroad. You must have lived in the UK continuously for at least ten years and taken home leave in the UK at least once every two years. However, if you are studying abroad you may not be entitled to free NHS treatment
• are receiving a UK war pension
• have been granted, or made an application for temporary protection, asylum or humanitarian protection
• in Wales, have applied for asylum
• in England, are an failed asylum seeker in certain circumstances, or in Scotland and Wales, are a failed asylum seeker
• in England, are a child the local authority has taken into care
• have been identified as having been trafficked from abroad or are believed to have been trafficked from abroad
• are imprisoned in the UK or detained by UK immigration authorities
• get a UK state retirement pension and live in the UK for at least 182 days a year (in Scotland and Wales, six months a year) and live in another European Economic Area (EEA) member state or Switzerland for the other part of the year. If you have registered as a resident of another EEA state or Switzerland, you may be entitled to free NHS hospital treatment if you fall ill during a trip back to the UK
• are from a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland and have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC does not cover coming to the UK just to get medical treatment but it allows you to get free care if you're referred to the UK for pre-planned treatment with an E112 or S2 certificate
• are a student following a course of study which lasts at least six months, or a course that is substantially funded by the UK, Welsh, Scottish or Northern Ireland Governments.

Violetta_2

Hi niknaks, your poor friends, can't imagine having to worry about bill's when their baby is so poorly. Perhaps he could speak to someone in the consulate for advice, another thing there may be a British church if he is in a city & they could perhaps offer him help or know where he can get help from. Good luck to the poor wee baby, finger's crossed they will thrive.
eg http://www.christchurchbangkok.org/home.html