By Karen Rutherford
A seriously ill New Zealander stuck in a Thai hospital has had a crushing setback. He has been kicked out for not paying enough of his medical bill.
New Zealanders have now donated more than $8000 to get Sean Kenzie home after his motorbike accident.
But that's not enough for hospital management who last night sent him packing.
Sean Kenzie has now been shunted out of the private hospital he was in after his near-fatal crash – straight into what he calls a Government-owned hellhole.
"There are rats running across the ground, geckos running up the walls,” he says. “It's not a hospital. It's a place you come to die."
After 10 days in the private hospital, he says staff last night took out his drip and told him to go.
Despite his mother already sending $8000 for surgical costs, management told him thousands more is owed.
"He is a bit freaked out,” says mother Nadine Mouritsen. “He's in a room with 50 other people and they've got them stacked into the hallways and doorways. He's cleaning and looking after his own wounds."
Sean Kenzie's medical bills are expected to hit $30,000 after his Thai motorbike accident.
He thought he was covered by travel insurance. It turns out the fine print excludes motorcycles.
His mother says New Zealanders have been generous. The upcoming auction of a donated kitchen is just one fundraiser.
But what Mr Kenzie needs right now is help from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"I don't know what to do,” he says. “I'm starting to wish I didn't survive."
“International SOS has given us a quote to fly Sean home, so that's the sort of price we're looking at,” says his mother.
The Ministry told 3 News tonight it is providing him with support and advice.
But fear of infection in a ward with 50 others means Sean Kenzie could now need more than that.
3 News