News Forum - Family pleas for help repatriating British man who died in Thailand

[Thaiger]

After a 44 year old British man died suddenly shortly after arriving in Thailand, his devastated family is trying to raise cash to pay his hospital bills and bring him home. Daniel Skipper came to Thailand with friends from his home town of Walton-le-Dale and Bamber Bridge in Lancashire, England and only a few days later he suffered a heart attack and died in the hospital. Skipper called his sister Katie last Sunday and told her that he was in the hospital after he had a heart attack. He had only just started his trip, after working 60 hours a […]

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[Saltire]

RIP

They should reconsider sending his body home, far easier to cremate here and send his remains home.

Did this for a UK friend who died in Cambodia, shipping company did everything for a few hundred US dollars.

 

 

[mark147]

Thailand pass insurance?

[LoongFred]

25 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

After a 44 year old British man died suddenly shortly after arriving in Thailand, his devastated family is trying to raise cash to pay his hospital bills and bring him home. Daniel Skipper came to Thailand with friends from his home town of Walton-le-Dale and Bamber Bridge in Lancashire, England and only a few days later he suffered a heart attack and died in the hospital. Skipper called his sister Katie last Sunday and told her that he was in the hospital after he had a heart attack. He had only just started his trip, after working 60 hours a […]

The story Family pleas for help repatriating British man who died in Thailand as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

That's about 200k baht. Might be OK if extended icu stay. Or, it could be a new take on the motorcycle accident case a while back.  At 44 there's likely other causes involved. 

I thought new arrivals had to have insurance. A tear jerker but the family needs to find the money or have a fund raiser at his pub.

[HolyCowCm]

Saving to stay here for the winter? Where is all his money? Credit or debit card? I am sorry but stuff like this makes us foreingers look bad and will put us long timers here jumping through stupid hoops because of these types of visititor money problems. Sorry to hear of his demise but very sad this even makes the news which will defintely be another stick on our camels back.

[Scribble]

No mention of insurance. I thought that was a compulsory condition of entry now. Also, if he'd only just arrived and planned to stay all winter does he not have £5,000 that can be accessed somehow by family or his bank given the circumstances?

 

[LoongFred]

9 minutes ago, HolyCowCm said:

Saving to stay here for the winter? Where is all his money? Credit or debit card? I am sorry but stuff like this makes us foreingers look bad and will put us long timers here jumping through stupid hoops because of these types of visititor money problems. Sorry to hear of his demise but very sad this even makes the news which will defintely be another stick on our camels back.

Totally agree. He needed money to live until February that should have paid for his return. Cremation is fine, and the hospital bill can't be too much.

 

[Bluesofa]

4 minutes ago, LoongFred said:

Totally agree. He needed money to live until February that should have paid for his return. Cremation is fine, and the hospital bill can't be too much.

I'm guessing the hospital won't release the body until the bill has been paid.
Plus they will charge to keep his body in the mortuary. A friend who died last year had 1,000 Baht a day added to the bill to cover that.

[Jason]

Every foreigner entering Thailand has to have travel insurance which has US $50,000 coverage at least. He applied using the Thailand Pass system, so the Thai Government knows who the insurer is and the policy details as the Travel Insurance document, is attached to the Thailand Pass application. Should be straight forward for the Thai Authorities and his family to claim on the policy and get funding to pay for the hospital bills and possibly the repatriation of his body. 

His family may have reservations about him being cremated and prefer burial. In this case, he would require embalming and a coffin and crating as well as organising a repatriation flight. Repatriation of a deceased person takes a lot of administration to make it happen. It also costs substantially more. About US $15,000 plus. Cremation in Thailand and the sending home of his ashes would be far less costly to the family, but theinsurance policy and whatit covers is the first thing to establish.

[Jason]

As to his personal effects, they would be documented and stored in police custody. It would also be wise to speak with the British Embassy, who can act as a go between and talk locally with authorities.

[LoongFred]

16 minutes ago, Bluesofa said:

I'm guessing the hospital won't release the body until the bill has been paid.
Plus they will charge to keep his body in the mortuary. A friend who died last year had 1,000 Baht a day added to the bill to cover that.

1000 baht/day seems about right to store the body in a morgue. Most bodies only stay a few days at most. Hospitals really want to encourage getting the bodies moved out and aren't trying to make money.

[LoongFred]

12 minutes ago, Jason said:

Every foreigner entering Thailand has to have travel insurance which has US $50,000 coverage at least. He applied using the Thailand Pass system, so the Thai Government knows who the insurer is and the policy details as the Travel Insurance document, is attached to the Thailand Pass application. Should be straight forward for the Thai Authorities and his family to claim on the policy and get funding to pay for the hospital bills and possibly the repatriation of his body. 

His family may have reservations about him being cremated and prefer burial. In this case, he would require embalming and a coffin and crating as well as organising a repatriation flight. Repatriation of a deceased person takes a lot of administration to make it happen. It also costs substantially more. About US $15,000 plus. Cremation in Thailand and the sending home of his ashes would be far less costly to the family, but theinsurance policy and whatit covers is the first thing to establish.

Thanks. I knew the travel pass had an insurance part. There have been numerous complaints about paying.

[Jason]

It's very easy for a family to feel helpless in this situation. Hopefully, he can be speedily returned to them before Christmas. Rest in peace.

[Oracle]

Travel insurance typically only provides a death benefit by accident, not by illness.  Travel insurance will pay for hospital costs of illness only if: 1) not a pre-existing condition to policy effective date, and 2) not contributed to or caused by alcohol, drugs or risky behavior.

[LoongFred]

12 minutes ago, Oracle said:

Travel insurance typically only provides a death benefit by accident, not by illness.  Travel insurance will pay for hospital costs of illness only if: 1) not a pre-existing condition to policy effective date, and 2) not contributed to or caused by alcohol, drugs or risky behavior.

So clubbing is out.

[HolyCowCm]

3 hours ago, Bluesofa said:

I'm guessing the hospital won't release the body until the bill has been paid.
Plus they will charge to keep his body in the mortuary. A friend who died last year had 1,000 Baht a day added to the bill to cover that.

1000 per day? That is a stiff fee. 

[HolyCowCm]

3 hours ago, LoongFred said:

Totally agree. He needed money to live until February that should have paid for his return. Cremation is fine, and the hospital bill can't be too much.

Yeah, can’t be that much cost but seems this sort of person had no personal or apparently family back up with money. Cremation better be ok and then they better pay the hospital bill off fast so it does not become yet another blemish on us. 

[Chatogaster]

44 minutes ago, HolyCowCm said:

1000 per day? That is a stiff fee. 

A rental fee of 1000 thb/sqm? Only over my dead body!

[HolyCowCm]

32 minutes ago, Chatogaster said:

A rental fee of 1000 thb/sqm? Only over my dead body!

Unfortunately the guy isn’t in a position to stand up and complain, so at least the renter neighbors next to him are quiet. I will bet the insurance will not pay so the family needs to do something with him fast. 

[Cathat]

Don't recall ever seeing travel insurance for tourists that includes shipping a body back to the home country.

Air freighting a corpse is a pretty involved and expensive procedure even in normal times.

[Holger]

I thought everyone Entering Thailand needs a health insurance covering Minimum 50000 US ...a Heart Attack IS Not an accident, should be covered by insurance

[Bluesofa]

5 minutes ago, Cathat said:

Don't recall ever seeing travel insurance for tourists that includes shipping a body back to the home country.

Air freighting a corpse is a pretty involved and expensive procedure even in normal times.

Yes, I suppose shipping a dead weight isn't cheap.

[PhayakPeter]

World traveller,? Should know to have insurance then.. 

[Fluke]

Was his heart attack caused by his recent Covid vaccination ?

[dimitri]

1 hour ago, Oracle said:

Travel insurance typically only provides a death benefit by accident, not by illness.  Travel insurance will pay for hospital costs of illness only if: 1) not a pre-existing condition to policy effective date, and 2) not contributed to or caused by alcohol, drugs or risky behavior.

That sounds like a typical American insurance. There are many health insurance companies  that cover everything (where I come from ALL health insurances cover everything) , including pre existing conditions. And travel insurances always cover repatriation of remains.