It was supposed to be a brief work trip to Uganda. Now he owes a hospital $30K
CTV
A man from Alberta has been at the Medipal International Hospital in Kampala, Uganda for over two months with a hefty medical bill. He says he can’t leave until it’s been paid for.
A man from Alberta has been at the Medipal International Hospital in Kampala, Uganda for over two months with a hefty medical bill. He says he can’t leave until it’s been paid for, but he doesn’t have travellers’ medical insurance.
Colin Crane, from Edmonton, went to Africa in June for a business trip as an independent contractor. He got sick a few weeks later and took himself to the hospital.
“I had trouble sleeping, breathing and eating,” said Crane.
He says that, after he got a blood test, the nurses had to help him back to his bed. The results came back and confirmed he had severe malaria.
“When you get it, and you don’t treat it or seek medical attention on time immediately your organs start shutting down due to its complication,” said Linda Wefila, the principal nursing officer at the hospital where Crane was treated.
Crane’s kidneys stopped working and he was on dialysis. He thought he’d be at the hospital for a few days but slipped into a coma for six weeks.
“I woke up to intravenous bottles coming out of me and I couldn’t move. I could hardly lift my head off of the pillow,” said Crane.
