Fatialofa facing another battle
Michael Fatialofa, who made a miraculous recovery from a severe spinal injury, is facing a six-figure medical bill, the Telegraph Sport understands.
Fatialofa is now walking again after initially being paralysed from the neck down after suffering a C4 vertebrae fracture and spinal contusion playing for Worcester Warriors against Saracens on January 4.
Confusion over the liability for his four-month stay at the private Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital has led to him receiving invoices amounting to £100,000 (NZ$190,600).
‘‘He has swapped one hell for another,’’ a source said.
Fatialofa had only been on the pitch for a minute when he carried the ball into Saracens replacements Jack Singleton and Richard Barrington in a premiership match at Allianz Park. Although it appeared at first glance to be a routine collision, Fatialofa’s neck had bent forward in the contact.
He was moved to the intensive care unit at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where he recalls people dying next to him. Fatialofa was told to prepare for life in a wheelchair before being transferred to Royal Bucks, a private hospital which has a renowned spinal unit, on February 6.
Under their expert supervision, he made an inspiring recovery and was walking unaided by March.
‘‘You are witnessing a miracle that even medical professionals can’t explain,’’ his wife, Tatiana, posted on social media. ‘‘They are so shook by his progress given his critical level of injury.’’
On June 6, he was discharged from Royal Bucks and was filmed walking back into Sixways, Worcester’s ground, 10 days later, providing one of rugby’s few feel-good stories of the year.
But his ordeal is far from over. Fees at Royal Bucks are around
£8500 (NZ$16,200) a week for Fatialofa’s level of care. The first four weeks of his care, which came to approximately
£36,000 (NZ$68,600), were paid for by Worcester Warriors through the Rugby Care insurance scheme. At that point, Fatialofa was due to be transferred to the nearby Stoke Mandeville Hospital, an NHS facility, but no bed was available.
In such cases, Worcester claim to have been advised that Fatialofa’s care would be paid for by the Clinical Commission Group which allows NHS patients to receive treatment in private hospitals when no comparable NHS care is available.
Yet Fatialofa, who spent 18 weeks at Royal Bucks, has since received invoices that amount to more than £100,000, according to several sources. Despite his recovery, Fatialofa’s livelihood as a professional rugby player is over at just 27.