Advice needed urgently re med situation in Sing

[ellen10]

What an ordeal for you @DontGetMeStarted .
I'm glad the surgery has been done and hopefully your husbands recovery goes well. Just keep all emails, forms and note down dates and conversations, so you have it all listed. Sometimes its hard to remember what has been said, and done, and when.

I'm glad that you have good travel insurance and you sound like your have been on top of things. But take care of yourself as well.

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

Thank you for the advice, will note that so I can discuss with TI
We also have to collect our car from Melbourne sky port parking

 

[Cynicor]

does travel insurance give you a replacement flight in similar cabin, or is it solely now in the hand of the medical advisors?

Generally TI will accommodate you- flights or hotels, to a level similar to that booked on your trip, as long as limits in the policy are also not exceeeded

 

[I love to travel]

My experience last year was that it was the original class of travel that they get you home in. I was in J on points, and they flew me home in J. This was with Southern Cross. Interestingly (and I could have this wrong) even though Dr wrote business required for leg elevation, not sure if this was taken into account as they made a big deal of having to put me in J as that was what I had booked.

 

[Quickstatus]

So far I have provided a lot of stuff but I am not sure what assistance they will give me going forward

That is all you can do
I would suggest that you again familiarise your self with your insurance product disclosure statement PDS
Keep all your receipts in case you need to claim retrospectively as a lot of these claims are on a reimbursement basis.

Generally travel insurance (TI) will have a cover clause like Emergency Companion cover . This type of cover will reimburse you as the travelling companion for reasonable additional accomodation and related travel expenses. You will need a letter from Dr to say your husband is unfit to travel.
I have found that relying on the insurer to book additional accom for you can be very problematic. Easier if you can just get your current accom provider to extend your reservation and then claim the reimbursement. Same type of room will be fine.

TI tend to accept claims if they are of the same class as the original booking. If original booking was tsomething like the Crowne Plaza and then you are claiming Raffles then they will ask questions.

Phone and internet connectivity can be an issue
There are various providers in Singapore which provide data and unlimited calls. In this situations voice calls ability are important.
Singtel tourist plans are good as they generally have unlimited local calls.

The TI agency that you deal with should also have a local Singapore call number.
Write and keep a log of everytime you speak with them and who you speak with including time and date.

Do you have a trusted support person back in Australia? Sometimes they may be able to help liaising on your behalf with the insurer. Obviously they will need to be up to speed with what is happening.
An often overlooked TI clause is that occasionally the TI will approve a family member to travel to the ill passenger, to be the support person for the ill passenger. However, these tend to be only approved if the ill passenger is travelling alone. May be worth checking.

I think it would have to be business class for comfort but will see what they suggest,

This is not necessarily true. Generally the class of travel will be the same as that purchased for the trip.
Any elevation of travel class would require a Drs letter. However, this can also be problematic because it could introduce delays in securing approval from the insurer and the insurer may not agree.

Regardless of class of travel, If the passenger cannot sit upright or are too uncomfortable/weak to travel, they are not fit to travel.

Rebooking of the ticket should not happen until your husband is at least discharged from hospital and recuperated- get better first then travel.
You are in a good place. Singapore has world class medical care and everyone speaks English and Ive heard the food is excellent..
It is not necessary to push for early discharge and then rush off back to MEL.
It is better to recuperate in singapore before travelling.
Beware that the airline can prevent someone from flying if the check in staff or gate staff think the passenger is too ill.

There is no need to get Qantas/Jetstar prior approval to travel unless:
- the passenger needs oxygen or specialised medical equipment
- the treating Dr is unsure of passenger can travel
- there is a communicable disease
- check specifics for other conditions. Page 5 indicates that pasengers with gall bladder surgery should not travel within 4 days of keyhole surgery, or within 10 days of open surgery. Qantas travel clearance is required if there are complication related to the disease/surgery or if travel is within 14 days of open surgery

83 year olds sometime take longer to recover. I suggest that the blood count (hemoglobin) for travel purposes should also be above 100grams/Litre unless it is chronically low.





Best of luck but please keep us informed and we will try to help answer your questions. You may wish to direct message if you would like to keep some info private. Im happy to help.

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

Thank you, I will most definitely keep you informed with my husbands progress, you have all been so helpful and yes very lucky we are here in Singapore, the hospital drs and staff are amazing

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

That is all you can do
I would suggest that you again familiarise your self with your insurance product disclosure statement PDS
Keep all your receipts in case you need to claim retrospectively as a lot of these claims are on a reimbursement basis.

Generally travel insurance (TI) will have a cover clause like Emergency Companion cover . This type of cover will reimburse you as the travelling companion for reasonable additional accomodation and related travel expenses. You will need a letter from Dr to say your husband is unfit to travel.
I have found that relying on the insurer to book additional accom for you can be very problematic. Easier if you can just get your current accom provider to extend your reservation and then claim the reimbursement. Same type of room will be fine.

TI tend to accept claims if they are of the same class as the original booking. If original booking was tsomething like the Crowne Plaza and then you are claiming Raffles then they will ask questions.

Phone and internet connectivity can be an issue
There are various providers in Singapore which provide data and unlimited calls. In this situations voice calls ability are important.
Singtel tourist plans are good as they generally have unlimited local calls.

The TI agency that you deal with should also have a local Singapore call number.
Write and keep a log of everytime you speak with them and who you speak with including time and date.

Do you have a trusted support person back in Australia? Sometimes they may be able to help liaising on your behalf with the insurer. Obviously they will need to be up to speed with what is happening.
An often overlooked TI clause is that occasionally the TI will approve a family member to travel to the ill passenger, to be the support person for the ill passenger. However, these tend to be only approved if the ill passenger is travelling alone. May be worth checking.




This is not necessarily true. Generally the class of travel will be the same as that purchased for the trip.
Any elevation of travel class would require a Drs letter. However, this can also be problematic because it could introduce delays in securing approval from the insurer and the insurer may not agree.

Regardless of class of travel, If the passenger cannot sit upright or are too uncomfortable/weak to travel, they are not fit to travel.

Rebooking of the ticket should not happen until your husband is at least discharged from hospital and recuperated- get better first then travel.
You are in a good place. Singapore has world class medical care and everyone speaks English and Ive heard the food is excellent..
It is not necessary to push for early discharge and then rush off back to MEL.
It is better to recuperate in singapore before travelling.
Beware that the airline can prevent someone from flying if the check in staff or gate staff think the passenger is too ill.

There is no need to get Qantas/Jetstar prior approval to travel unless:
- the passenger needs oxygen or specialised medical equipment
- the treating Dr is unsure of passenger can travel
- there is a communicable disease
- check specifics for other conditions. Page 5 indicates that pasengers with gall bladder surgery should not travel within 4 days of keyhole surgery, or within 10 days of open surgery. Qantas travel clearance is required if there are complication related to the disease/surgery or if travel is within 14 days of open surgery

83 year olds sometime take longer to recover. I suggest that the blood count (hemoglobin) for travel purposes should also be above 100grams/Litre unless it is chronically low.

View attachment 510424



Best of luck but please keep us informed and we will try to help answer your questions. You may wish to direct message if you would like to keep some info private. Im happy to help.

Thank you have sent a direct message to you

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

Hello All
An update, we are still in Singapore, husband discharged last Friday after emergency surgery , not feeling great, got worse Saturday and back in hospital Sunday with suspected .pneumonia, then diagnosed with Influenza A. Discharged again yesterday, with( another bucket load of meds and anti virals. At every step I have kept TI informed, they said claim not approved yet, waiting on further information from Drs in Australia, they have now received those records and spoke with them again today and they said a decision will be made possibly tomorrow ! It’s been stressful to say the least but we are back together in the hotel, have a clearance and fit to fly letter. I don’t know what else I can do. Racking up huge bills at hotel / food / taxis etc and have kept every receipt. I declared all his pre known conditions ….we desperately need To get home, out of this humidity and air con and possible reinfection. Just thought you might like to know PS everyone here at the hotel and hospital, drs etc have been amazing

 

[Quickstatus]

have a clearance and fit to fly letter

Wonderful
What is the status of your original flights?
Were they cancelled for a flight credit? Or were they non refundable?

It may be better to get back home then make a Ti claim rather than wait for Ti approval.
TI is ridiculously slow to approve

 

[serfty]

.... At every step I have kept TI informed, they said claim not approved yet, waiting on further information from Drs in Australia, they have now received those records and spoke with them again today and they said a decision will be made possibly tomorrow ! ...

Yes, travel insurance companies will turn over every stone in looking for anything that may indicate a pre-existing condition was not made apparent to them when the policy was taken out.

 

[Himeno]

It won’t be ‘for comfort’, it will be what is medically necessary.

Coming off a major surgery they probably won’t want someone to be sitting in a cramped seat, upright, for 8 hours, etc. So that would be the argument.

Really depends what the doctor advises (which you may be able to influence )

Back when QF was using 747s for the HND flights, I ran into a couple at check in. The wife had done something during their trip which resulted in leg problems. She, and the nurse sent to bring them home by the insurance company, had seats in business as a result of the medical issue. The husband ended up sitting next to me in premium economy.

 

[kpc]

Yes, travel insurance companies will turn over every stone in looking for anything that may indicate a pre-existing condition was not made apparent to them when the policy was taken out.

Yup! Travel insurance companies are only interested in makkng profits....paying out large medical bills is not part of their profit plan!

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

Wonderful
What is the status of your original flights?
Were they cancelled for a flight credit? Or were they non refundable?

It may be better to get back home then make a Ti claim rather than wait for Ti approval.
TI is ridiculously slow to approve

This was the last leg of a reward flight, Qantas said because we could not take the flight despite husband being in surgery we had forfeited the flight. It’s their rules nothing else offered

 

[Quickstatus]

This was the last leg of a reward flight,

No refund of points?

So you need a a one way ticket.

For the cheapest, maybe consider Scoot - their Y seats one ways out of SIN are very reasonably priced - around SGD 300 per person. They also have Scoot plus which is a premium economy level seat for about SGD900 per person.

Potentially you could buy 3 Scoot economy seats -2 passengers sharing 3 seats. The 3rd seat will be a "comfort seat" and because no passenger is attached to it would not have the usual taxes attached but should include a luggage allowance.

QF one way would be $1000 in Y per person.

 

[Flyfrequently]

This was the last leg of a reward flight, Qantas said because we could not take the flight despite husband being in surgery we had forfeited the flight. It’s their rules nothing else offered

Just looked at direct SIN-MEL J flights over the weekend @DontGetMeStarted QF38 is coming in at ~AUD 4300 pp.
I agree with @Quickstatus about getting home but my concern would be TI would then be more difficult to deal with upon your return.
What is their excuse/reason for the hold-up?
So distressing for you both.

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

No refund of points?

So you need a a one way ticket.

For the cheapest, maybe consider Scoot - their Y seats one ways out of SIN are very reasonably priced - around SGD 300 per person. They also have Scoot plus which is a premium economy level seat for about SGD900 per person.

Potentially you could buy 3 Scoot economy seats -2 passengers sharing 3 seats. The 3rd seat will be a "comfort seat" and because no passenger is attached to it would not have the usual taxes attached but should include a luggage allowance.

QF one way would be $1000 in Y

Not sure on the points, I guess that’s to be sorted on our return. Thx for the info re scoot Have be3n looking at JQ too

 

[Quickstatus]

TI would then be more difficult to deal with upon your return.

Not necessarily. I would also not delay getting home to leverage Ti approval. Easier to battle the TI from the comfort and resources of home.
The self funded expenditure up till now is already sunk cost. The only additional cost is just the flights. Rather than incur further hotel expenses and potentially additional medical expenses waiting for TI, it may be better to go home now especially as clearance letter is obtained.

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

Just looked at direct SIN-MEL J flights over the weekend @DontGetMeStarted QF38 is coming in at ~AUD 4300 pp.
I agree with @Quickstatus about getting home but my concern would be TI would then be more difficult to deal with upon your return.
What is their excuse/reason for the hold-up?
So distressing for you both.

Checking his history with I think to see if they can link his gall bladder which had turned gangerous and ruptured to his scleroderma or Barrett’s to see if. I Should have declared a gall bladder issue ,,,,,

 

[Quickstatus]

they can link his gall bladder which had turned gangerous and ruptured to his scleroderma or Barrett’s

Definitely not. Scleroderma and Barrett's are entirely and completely unrelated to gallbladder issues and additionally do not predispose someone to get gall bladder issues.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Not necessarily. I would also not delay getting home to leverage Ti approval. Easier to battle the TI from the comfort and resources of home.
The self funded expenditure up till now is already sunk cost. The only additional cost is just the flights. Rather than incur further hotel expenses and potentially additional medical expenses waiting for TI, it may be better to go home now especially as clearance letter is obtained.

Fair points @Quickstatus