It should have been one of the greatest moments of his life, but when Gavin Broad, a British expatriate living and working in Thailand, accompanied his wife to the hospital to give birth, he could not have imagined for a moment that he would soon end up hospitalised in the bed next to her.
Gavin’s wife gave birth to their son in Hat Yai’s Rajyindee Hospital in Thailand’s Songkhla province. Whilst his wife and son remained in hospital, a delighted Gavin went out to celebrate the arrival of the newborn, taking a friend for a meal at a local restaurant. During the course of the evening, however, they heard what sounded like two bomb blasts nearby. As the two men rushed outside to see what was happening, another bomb exploded and they were caught by the hurtling shrapnel.
Gavin sustained a nasty facial injury, so hurried straight up to the hospital where it was discovered that a chunk of shrapnel the size of a thumbnail had implanted itself just below his left eye socket. He was immediately operated on, although the offending object was so deeply embedded in his face that the surgeon dared not remove it, for fear of damaging nerves serving his eye or causing weakness in his face muscles, which would result in a permanent and visible facial drooping.
Gavin explains, “Our injuries could have been so much worse had I not instinctively held my friend back from the crowd that was forming outside. As the crowd gathered to the sound of the first blasts, a secondary explosion targeted them. There were three lives lost and 80 people sustained various injuries.”
Sadly, the global threat posed by terrorism is well-publicised, as shocking news coverage of hideous attacks regularly highlights the increased danger of international living for expatriates. Thankfully, the risk of getting caught in an attack remains mercifully low in most countries, but expatriates must take care wherever they are the world.
Fortunately, Gavin was insured by a William Russell Global Health plan, so was able to receive the care he needed, without having to foot the bill first. It’s important not to assume that all international private health insurance will provide 100% cover in these situations. Many insurance providers place limits upon the amount of private medical benefit that they will provide their policy holders with if they are innocently caught up in a terrorist attack. Some might not even provide protection at all.
William Russell’s Global Health plans provide comprehensive protection for the benefits covered under your plan, as long as you are not in the war zones listed on the Foreign Office ‘don’t go to’ list, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, or participate in terrorist activity. Although most international private health insurance will typically cover medical treatment as a result of accident or illness, always ensure that it also provides you with full benefit for the threat that terrorist activity could pose to your wellbeing.
Gavin ends, “I am very grateful to William Russell… you never know how good an insurance plan is until you need it. I claimed for over US$2,000 worth of medical treatment, which would have represented a severe drain on resources if I’d had to pay, especially with a wife and a newborn child to provide for.”
Reproduced with kind permission of Gavin Broad