Medical Expenses: Brother Very Ill in Thailand

jsoap5

My brother is very ill in a hospital in Thailand. I haven't seen my brother for nearly 20 years and haven't spoken to him for nearly 10. We fell out over the sale of the family home and are effectively estranged.

The Foreign Office contacted me over a month ago to tell me he was very ill in a prison hospital in Thailand. He was in prison for overstaying his visa. The main concern of the Foreign Office is who is going to pay the considerable medical expenses for my brother's treatment, increasing every day. I informed them that I was on a state pension with a small private pension and modest savings and that I would not be able to pay my brother's medical bill.

The hospital in Thailand intend to perform a trachaeotomy on my brother to ease his breathing which has been very laboured since he was admitted. He has been connected to a machine to help him breathe since his admission.

The Foreign Office have sent me a 'consent' form for me to sign so the operation can go ahead. The problem for me is that the form is in Thai. I have asked the FO to translate the document so I can be sure it doesn't contain any adverse obligations on me; in particular, that I will not be held financially liable for my brother's treatment. They have declined, saying that I can always hire a Thai interpreter at my own expense if I am that worried.

I can't believe they don't have a Thai interpreter in the Thai section of the FO. Does everyone in Thailand speak English? The hospital treating my brother certainly don't appear to.

I have told the FO that I will not sign the form unless it is translated into English. I have also asked them to find another 'next of kin' for my brother and not to contact me again.

A bit harsh, perhaps? Can anyone, perhaps with a similar experience, advise me?

Thanks.

elsien

I'm sure Thailand must have procedures in place for people who don't have a next of kin. Might be worth seeing if you can check on an expat forum.
That does seem to be quite unhelpful of the foreign office.
I wouldn't sign something if I didn't know what it was.

If your brother needs support with breathing then he's in for the long haul.
What happens if he's ready to leave hospital but still needs some form of care? Only you can decide what level of involvement you want, how you will feel if you do/don't take action and the implications. But you do need more information in order to do so. Thai embassy? The British consulate in Thailand?

newbutold

You could try posting on the forum on

https://www.thaivisa.com

It must of been some overstay as normally it’s a fine.

Red-Squirrel_2

jsoap5 wrote: »

I have told the FO that I will not sign the form unless it is translated into English. I have also asked them to find another 'next of kin' for my brother and not to contact me again.

A bit harsh, perhaps? Can anyone, perhaps with a similar experience, advise me?

Thanks.

Totally reasonable.

Why would you take responsibility for somebody you haven't seen in two decades? If nothing else, you have no idea what his wishes might be in this situation.

The medical team caring for him will have to make the decisions as if he had no family. Its not exactly an unheard of scenario.

Comms69

I will say Thai law literally has no bearing on you in the UK.

There is no way they could pursue you for medical expenses. Or anything else.

moneyistooshorttomention

If he's walked off with the lions share of family assets - which is what it sounds like he did - then "he has made his bed and he can lie on it".

That does sound harsh - but if you're quite sure he treated you badly back then and friends who are prepared to be honest with you agree that he did = then it's down to him to sort it out.

I certainly agree there is absolutely no way one should ever sign any document you don't fully understand - as who knows what you could be signing up to?

It sounds like a try-on on their part to land you with responsibility - but with no way to enforce it on you.

elsien

wrote: »

If he's walked off with the lions share of family assets - which is what it sounds like he did - then "he has made his bed and he can lie on it".

That does sound harsh - but if you're quite sure he treated you badly back then and friends who are prepared to be honest with you agree that he did = then it's down to him to sort it out.

I certainly agree there is absolutely no way one should ever sign any document you don't fully understand - as who knows what you could be signing up to?

It sounds like a try-on on their part to land you with responsibility - but with no way to enforce it on you.

How on earth do you get to "walked off with the lions share of family assets' from "fell out over the sale of the family home".
That's one heck of a leap.

fred246

It is so wrong on so many levels. Or at least it would be in the UK. Just refuse to sign anything you don't understand. Nobody can make you. You have done exactly the right thing.

Gavin83

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

If he's walked off with the lions share of family assets - which is what it sounds like he did - then "he has made his bed and he can lie on it".

How do you know it wasn't the OP who left with the lions share or maybe it wasn't about the split at all.

Anyway OP, I wouldn't sign anything. In all honesty it's really not your problem.

Pollycat

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

Totally reasonable.

Why would you take responsibility for somebody you haven't seen in two decades? If nothing else, you have no idea what his wishes might be in this situation.

The medical team caring for him will have to make the decisions as if he had no family. Its not exactly an unheard of scenario.

Well, I would have said it was totally reasonable too.
But, as you are aware, there is a recent thread where some posters believe quite strongly that siblings should help each other unless the 'falling out' is something very bad. I think abuse was mentioned as one reason.

As for the OP, I too would be reluctant to sign any document that I couldn't understand.

As another poster has said, the FO don't seem to be being very helpful.

theoretica

Have you run the document through google translate or equivalent? I would want to get an idea of what it says, but then I am on the nosey side!