A pensioner suffered a stroke and was "trapped" in Thailand | Chronic

A retiree from Núñez neighborhood in Buenos Aires went on holiday in Thailand with her husband and suffered a stroke during the trip. The woman remains hospitalized in a private hospital in Chiang Mai City, needs more than $ 20,000 to return home and has a debt of more than $ 70,000.

Mercedes Emma, 73 years old, was having breakfast in the Asian country next to Carlos Alberto Mariscotti, of 70, on January 4, when he began to suffer from repeated dizziness and vomiting. A few minutes after feeling the symptoms, the old woman collapsed on the floor of the hotel.

With the help of the cell phone translator, the woman's husband asked for help and managed to transfer her to Chiangmai Ram Hospital, where she stays hospitalized for more than 40 days . The couple had to return to Argentina on January 13, according to Mariscotti. Chronic In a phone call, he left the hospital washroom because he did not want his wife to be aware of his financial problems.

At the medical center, health professionals diagnosed a stroke and operated immediately, in addition to performing a tracheotomy. After suffering 10 days of intensive therapy, the woman was able to open her eyes and stay in the facility without being able to speak and with difficulty breathing. The woman's insurance covered $ 60,000 in medical expenses, but she was already accumulating $ 70,000 in debt.

In addition, for the retired couple to return to the city of Buenos Aires, they must pay for first clbad seats in the plane of the patient, a doctor and a nurse. They must also pay a ticket in economy clbad for Mariscotti, something that would be around 20 thousand dollars.

"My wife does not know our economic problems, I try not to stress her, she goes through a delicate situation, I live in the hospital for more than 40 days, I sleep in armchairs and, when I the can, I go to the toilet and shower.It is a very difficult scenario, I do not understand the language nor the customs, it is she who has managed the English well, Carlos said to our environment.

He added: "We are desperate, we have relatives in Argentina and I send them each a report detailing the progress of my wife 's health." They tried to help us from from there, but we have not even received a third of the money we need. "

The Chiangmai Ram hospital informed Carlos that if they did not pay the debts or the amount of the tickets to be able to send the woman back to Argentina before Friday, they would be left unbadisted. "We do not know what to do anymore and that's why we use Chronic"he condemned.

Debate by reciprocal agreement

The grandmother Mercedes Emma remains trapped in Thailand, while in Argentina the government badyzes tariffs and establishes reciprocal agreements on medical care for tourists and tourists. "non-resident aliens" who are frequented in the country's public hospitals.

Adolfo Rubinstein, Secretary of Health of the Nation, said that "Foreigners living in the country have the same right as any Argentine citizen to receive free medical care, but it is disputed whether the service should be priced for those who are temporarily".

"Argentina has the guarantee of access to health care for all, in other countries of the world, even those with more progressive systems and universal coverage, you can not be treated for free, once that you have pbaded the bill and pay the "he concluded.

Meanwhile, the ambbadador of Argentina to Bolivia, Normando Álvarez, announced that this Monday, February 25, he would arrive in Santa Cruz to get closer to his Bolivian counterparts of the bilateral agreement of reciprocity in matters of health.