Dad stranded in Greece
STUCK IN HOSPITAL AFTER BACK INJURY
HOLIDAYMAKER Tony Blenkinsop has been left stranded in a Greek hospital after being injured.
After jetting off to Corfu with wife Karen, their Greek paradise quickly turned into hell after Tony was admitted into hospital with no means of getting home to North Shields.
The 51-year-old yacht instructor was taken to Gouvia hospital after injuring his back on August 18, just a few days after they began their holiday. Karen, 53, believes Tony suffered a slipped disc when lifting heavy items around their holiday boat on Gouvia Marina.
Originally due to fly home on Sunday, August 27, the couple have tried to claim travel insurance from Natwest but are not sure when they will be able to get home.
Due to work commitments, Karen needs to be back by Monday but Tony claims they will lose their insurance cover if she flies home alone. According to the couple, their insurance provider said Tony will need help travelling and so will not be able to fly home on his own.
Karen, who works as a funding manager, says they have been unable to speak with medics about Tony’s condition. “We don’t see any nurses. The doctor comes round for minutes in the morning and doesn’t speak English.”
Unable to move, Tony has been cared for by his wife in the hospital.
He said: “We’ve had to supply our own bedding, my own food, my own toilet roll. My wife’s had to bed bath me and change the sheets.”
He added that they had hygiene concerns after noticing “blood on the floor” and “old dressings lying around”.
After regular doses of painkillers, Tony is starting to become more mobile and is desperate to return to the UK. “I would like them to get me home as soon as possible. I’m lying in the middle of a shared ward not knowing what’s going on.”
While they remain in contact with their insurers, the couple, who have three grown-up children between them, say they are grateful for all the support they have received back home.
Following a social media campaign backed by friends and family, the couple say seats have been reserved for them on a British Airways flight today.
Tony is now waiting to hear if he will be discharged from the hospital in order to make the flight.
A spokesperson for Natwest said: “We sympathise with Mr Blenkinsop’s situation and are doing our utmost to get him home safely.
“Unfortunately due to a number of delays, including obtaining medical updates from the hospital treating Mr Blenkinsop, we have been unable to arrange his repatriation back to the UK.
“Our medical assistance team and agent in Greece are proactively chasing the hospital for vital details of his medical condition, so we can assess his requirements and provide the appropriate medical support for his journey home.”