oxygen abroad

[jimmyofallon]

what does it cost for having oxygen in a hotel in europe

[Tweetie13]

Hi I got my O2 through Oxygenworldwide.com for my week in Sweden. I took my POC so I only needed 3 small cylinders for dancing. They cost £680 ish I cant remember the exact amount. I had to pay up front and put a claim in to department of health they told me could it could take up to 6 months and I probably won't get all of it back.

[Joy123 in reply to Tweetie13]

£680 really? That is extremely expensive for 3 small cylinders. I was very interested in the original question as my family hope to take me away at some stage but I'd need a large concentrator and large back-up cylinder. I didn't realise you could claim money back though. How does that work? Joy.

[Tweetie13 in reply to Joy123]

I organised mine by ringing department of health first. It depends on the individual country you're going too (EICC route not applicable to Sweden) I was staying with a Swedish national there, they tried all routes also to no avail. Fancy having to use a company based in Spain to sort it out. My NHS provider is Air Liquide they have a branch in Sweden but they couldn't help either. I went beginning of June my claim is still in process. Very frustrating.

[gingermusic]

It can be completely free if you organise it from here against your EICC card but its an awkward process. You need to phone the health department to get the contact for the country your going to and then fax them copies of your EICC card and passport full address and a phone number for where you are staying along with dtes of arrrival and departure. Not an easy thing to do. Failing that you can hire a portable oxygen machine from many places here in UK to take with you for around £600 but and this is the bug but if they go wrong there is no back up while out of the country. It is not an easy fix and has stopped me going abroad for the past 3 years.

[jimmyofallon in reply to gingermusic]

Thanks gingermusic ,very helpful

[dave26]

I had a weeks holiday in Mallorca last year and arranged it under the EHIC card. It is not too bad sorting it out all done by email and the equipment was waiting at the hotel in fact too much equipment . Worth doing it, by the way TUI still giving free oxygen on the aircraft (1 person per flight). Other alternative is to hire concentrator, going on holiday to Morrocco soon.