I cane to Malta on a cruise ship in May, not feeling well i saw the ships doctor who said i needed to go to hospital. 5 days later i was having surgery in Malta hospital. 5 days after that i was released with having a double bypass. We have had to find accommodation and family are flying to and fro from the uk to help my wife and I. I have excellent service from Malta hospital and are now looking forward to coming back home to the uk in the next few days.Ive been given a fit to fly certificate frim another doctor but when i get hime will i get the same care from the NHS
Has anyone had this happen to them.?
Written by
barryjcooke
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Well I am so sorry your cruise turned out like this will not be a cruise you will forget that is for sure but I am glad you have had good care in Malta and are now safe to travel home
As soon as you get back you need to make an appointment with your Doctor and hopefully the care will continue as there is no reason why it should not
Have a safe journey back and let us know how you get on x
Whether or not you get the same care from the NHS is open to question, but you will find out the answer to your question when you return to the UK. However be aware your insurance company has paid for your care in Malta, which arguably could the equivalent of private medicine care in the UK, and any follow up NHS care for you in the UK will cost you nothing. Nonetheless to ensure you get the appropriate level of care back in the UK you need to ensure that you depart with a complete set of medical notes from your Malta hospital to hand over so that that the NHS can pick up from where they left off.
There are definitely other threads about people being taken ill abroad so you could also search this website for other information. I suspect your GP can make a referral to cardiology now before you see him/her. Very good advice to get a paper copy of your medical notes to hand over to the GP and cardiology on return here. Also keep a diary of your symptoms, changes and dosage of medication etc. from now on in and perhaps write your own resume of the symptoms you had on the cruise. Once back in the UK there should be cardiac rehabilitation which is offered 6 weeks+ after by-pass. Hope all goes well with the flight and journey home, others may be able to give you some tips for how to make this easier.
I had a cardiac arrest in Switzerland, the medial care and attention I received was of the very highest level as you would expect from the Swiss. I noticed a big difference when I returned to the UK, it was explained away as having dropped through the net and the CA not being fully recorded on the NHS. You will have to be more proactive and push to get on rehab, appointments etc. Don't let up, keep making the calls and you'll eventually be part of the system. Make sure you receive all your medical notes, including prescribed medicines, from the Maltese hospital, I was presented with these plus the actual procedure was in written and visual digital files so my UK cardiologist could watch the actual procedure on an MP4, AVI file.
When it's time for you to fly you should contact the airline or airport and ask for medical assistance, I was escorted through the airport, through another non public security check and border control, less than 5 minutes in the airport to sitting on the plane, that was a relief as anxiety is a big part of it.
Once you get home push to get on rehab, the rehab is something the NHS excel at, you'll notice an upswing in your physical and mental health week on week, it's a great service.
Don't forget to persevere with the pushing and phone calls to get things moving.
Sorry to hear about your heart attack but glad you have been well looked after.
Almost 2 years ago, aged 43, I had a cardiac arrest on holiday in Crete. No heart blockages, my heart just stopped. Husband gave me CPR and I went to the nearest hospital on the island where I stayed for 7 days. Insurance company wouldn’t allow me to fly until I had completed a series of tests so I was airlifted to another private hospital in Athens for another 7 days. Insurance company were great and flew my sister-in-law over to bring the children back home so my husband could stay with me. I was airlifted back home straight to LHCH and was fitted with an ICD/pacemaker the following day. The follow up care has been great and make sure you accept everything offered to you with cardiac rehab. I guess it depends on which hospital you’re under but personally, my experience has been great since I came home.
My husband had a stroke whilst in Turkey a number of years ago. When we got home, 3 weeks later, he slotted right into the NHS care and rehab. I expect it will be the same for you. Best wishes.
Just a thought, we can contact our GP practice using a form on their webpage to tell them about medical problems. You go via 'contact us on-line' during surgery hours and it takes you to a form where you can give information about your condition. You can give them information about what has been happening and ask them what they need from the hospital/doctors in Malta.
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