Fatialofa facing huge bill

MICHAEL Fatialofa is facing a £100,000 medical bill following his miraculous recovery from a severe spinal injury.

The Worcester Warriors lock is now walking again after initially being paralysed from the neck down after suffering a vertebrae fracture and spinal contusion playing against Saracens on January 4.

But the Daily Telegraph report confusion over the liability for his fourmonth stay at the private Royal Buckinghamshire Hospital has led to him receiving invoices amounting to £100,000.

The report states that the first month of his time at Royal Bucks, which cost approximately £36,000, was paid for by the Warriors through the Rugby Care insurance scheme.

At that point, 27-year-old Fatialofa was to be transferred to the Stoke Mandeville public hospital, but with no bed available at that NHS facility, he spent the next three months in private care.

It’s claimed the Warriors were told that the remaining medical fees would be covered by the Clinical Commission Group, which allows National Health Service patients to receive private health care when no public health service is available.

However, Fatialofa has reportedly been sent bills equating to around £100,000 for his stay at Royal Bucks, with one source telling the Telegraph that the New Zealander “has swapped one hell for another”.

Compounding complications is that Fatialofa’s contract with Worcester expired on June 30, while his prearranged contract with a French club has since been cancelled due to his injury.

Furthermore, Fatialofa’s visa is set to expire soon, but he needs to remain in the United Kingdom to receive followup treatment from his surgeon before returning to New Zealand.

Funds amounting to over £40,000 have been raised on a Just Giving Page by the Rugby Players’ Association’s Restart Charity, but sources say that Fatialofa is facing fees that are well beyond his financial means.