A British Army veteran who suffered a devastating heart attack while working abroad has been left with a £20,000 NHS bill – because of rules around where he was living at the time. Steve Foreman, now 73, was living and working on an oil rig in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia when he collapsed in 2013 at the age of 62. The former soldier, originally from Stepney and now living in Croydon, was airlifted to Nairobi, Kenya, for urgent treatment.
While in hospital, he suffered a catastrophic cardiac arrest and slipped into a coma for 13 days. His condition was critical: he endured total organ failure, multiple infections, and had to undergo dialysis, a tracheotomy and a blood transfusion.
After three months of intensive treatment in Nairobi, Mr Foreman was flown back to the UK. He was first treated at Worksop Hospital in Nottinghamshire so that his brother Grant, who had asked the NHS to confirm that Steve was entitled to free treatment, could support his recovery.
Once stable, Mr Foreman was transferred to Doncaster Royal Infirmary for surgery related to his tracheotomy. But what came next left him reeling.
He said: “When I finally got out of hospital, I got slapped with a £20,000 bill. I was shocked. I didn’t expect it.”
Mr Foreman, who served in the British Army before spending two decades working in Africa and the Middle East, said he had always assumed he was entitled to NHS treatment as a British citizen and military veteran.
But officials from the Department of Health and Social Care ruled otherwise, stating that he was classed as an “overseas visitor” because he had been working outside the UK for more than two years and could not provide evidence of UK residency.
He said: “We kicked up about this. Our MP and the Veterans’ Foundation got involved. The MP got on to the Department for Health and Social Security, but they just said I’m an overseas visitor and I have to pay.”
By the time he was discharged, Mr Foreman was using a walking frame, having lost muscle mass from being confined to a hospital bed for months. He added: “I eventually got better but they put me into the hands of a debt collector.”
He said: “I told them, ‘I’m a British citizen. I’ve served in the British Army. I nearly died.
“Now you’re chasing me for £20,000?’ It doesn’t seem right.”
Despite support from charities and politicians, Mr Foreman is still being pursued for the debt – one he fears he will be paying off for the rest of his life.
He said: “It feels like I’ve been abandoned. After everything I’ve given to this country, this is how I’m treated.”
A spokesperson for Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “As an NHS organisation, we are legally required to follow national regulations and guidance when assessing whether a person is entitled to free healthcare. These standards are set out in law and based on residency, not nationality.
“As such, British citizens who live abroad may be charged for some services, depending on their individual circumstances and the type of care provided. We are committed to applying these legal duties fairly and consistently, and to ensuring that all patients receive any urgent or immediately necessary treatment.”