Canadian having heart attack in Jamaica pressured to pay thousands before doctors would treat him

Brian Slater, left, suffered a heart attack while on holiday in Jamaica. His wife, Brenda, said she was pressured by hospital staff to pay thousands before he was treated. (Supplied)

TORONTO — The wife of an Ontario man who had a heart attack on vacation in Jamaica is furious that her husband was taken to a hospital two hours away—despite there being one only 30 minutes away—before then being pressured to pay thousands of dollars upfront for his treatment.

Brenda Slater and her husband Brian, who live in Tiny Township about two hours north of Toronto, travelled to Jamaica in early November for a five-night getaway to Couples Negril.

The couple was getting ready for dinner on the third night of their trip when Brian began feeling tightness in his chest and started vomiting.

Brenda said she knew her 54-year-old husband was having a heart attack and immediately called the front desk and asked for an ambulance. She said a nurse and doctor arrived at their room within 20 minutes, but it took more than 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

Brenda, who is a travel agent and sells travel insurance, said she called her insurance company and asked all the questions she was supposed to before her husband was put into the ambulance. She said they were told by the nurse that the closest hospital was two hours away in Montego Bay, despite later learning there was one 30 minutes away.

"I asked if there is an emergency room closer and they said no. They lied. Then I asked if we are going to a public hospital and they said yes. Again, they lied," Brenda told CTV News Toronto on Wednesday.

"As soon as the ambulance doors closed, the nurse asked me for US$300 cash. For the first 20 minutes she was asking me for money. Eventually she said she would settle for US$150. Then she wanted my credit card despite having my insurance information."

"This is all while my husband is having a heart attack."

Brenda said that when they arrived two hours later at the private hospital, Hospiten Montego Bay, staff asked her to pay US$4,000 upfront before a doctor would see him.

Hospiten is an international group of private hospitals, which caters to tourists in need of medical care in countries like Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama and Jamaica.

"The front desk at Hospiten said they needed a credit card. I told them I don’t have one with US$4,000 available. They then asked me to call my credit card company and request to raise the limit because of emergency circumstances."

"Meanwhile, my husband is in the hall on a gurney having a heart attack and no doctor has seen him."

Brenda said after a bit of back-and-forth, the hospital staff agreed to treat him because they had been guaranteed payment from their insurance company.

"I thought finally we are good. I begged them to let me stay at the hospital overnight but they told me to go back to the resort two hours away."

Brenda said the following morning her husband was supposed to be transferred to the Heart Institute of the Caribbean, a further two hours away in Kingston, because it was the closest place where Hospiten’s cardiologist could do an angiogram.

"The Heart Institute of the Caribbean called me saying we need US$10,000 to transfer him as a deposit. I immediately said 'Look, I have insurance what the hell is going on?'"

"My insurance company then hired what they called an agent in Kingston who would take care of the payment, which was done."

"The next morning the heart institute said they didn't receive the money and they needed the e-mail confirmation that the transfer had processed before they would take him to Kingston."

Brenda said she was left angry and shocked when the Heart Institute of the Caribbean then requested an additional US$43,000 to perform her husband's surgery before he could be transferred.

"That’s when I called my insurance and lost it. They agreed this is ridiculous behaviour. The hospital wanted me to put US$43,000 on my credit card. We had now been waiting nearly three days."

"My insurance company arranged for us to go to another hospital because they were also fed up, but Hospiten wouldn't him to leave without payment. They basically held Brian hostage and demanded another US$10,000 on credit card to pay for the three days of care in the ICU."

Brenda said Hospiten eventually accepted US$10,000 from their insurance company and agreed to allow his transfer to another facility.

Brian was taken to the University of West Indies Hospital in Kingston and underwent a procedure to insert a stent nearly 72 hours after having the heart attack. About a week later, he was released and the couple flew back to Canada where he is slowly recovering.

"I do believe because he had to wait nearly 72 hours for the stent, there is no question there was some additional damage done to his heart," Brenda said.

"It's really sucks for the system to take advantage of your vulnerability. They looked at us like walking dollar signs."

Brenda said her insurance company handled the situation well and did the best they could.

"They were acting in my best interest."

Brenda said next time she travels, she'll make sure to always research ahead of time where the nearest hospital is located but fears that may not even be enough.

"I did everything I was supposed to do. I asked the questions. Travel agents are trained to believe if someone has emergency medical travel insurance they should never have to pay out of pocket."

"It all becomes overwhelming, arguing about money while watching your husband's life hang in the balance."

CTV News Toronto contacted Hospiten for comment on Wednesday afternoon but has not yet received a response.

Earlier this month, a Barrie, Ont. father was left in a similar situation after his sick son was taken to Hospiten in Punta Cana instead of a hospital much closer.

Darren Burley said Hospiten wouldn’t accept his insurance and demanded US$3,000 while they treated his two-year-old son. When they tried to leave the hospital, Burley said an armed guard sat with them until they agreed to pay at least US$1,000.

Burley, who posted about the ordeal on his Facebook page, warned people heading down south on holiday to do a bit of research before they leave.

"People end up learning the hard way. If I knew before I went to Google where the closest hospital is to the resort, I could have called them out."

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