Dad trapped in Spanish hospital after common illness mistake means £30k bill

A 'helpless' British dad has been hit with a whopping £30,000 medical bill after being admitted to hospital while on holiday in Spain .

When Kevin Turner, 63, jetted off to Alicante with his partner, Joy Peck, in May, he had been ill for a week with a chest infection, but things took a turn for the worse because he hadn't declared his ailment to his travel insurance.

The retired painter and decorator had been given a course of antibiotics and steroids, and felt assured by his GP that he was 'good to go', with a further prescription to cover the period he would be away.

But when Kevin landed in the popular Spanish destination he began to feel 'off' and put it down to the tiring journey.

But when his chest pains worsened the following day, Joy was so worried she called an ambulance.

At a hospital in Alicante, doctors discovered that Kevin had a punctured lung and was suffering from  pneumonia , and so he was moved intensive care immediately.

Kevin Turner, 63, is currently in intensive care in Alicante after suffering from a punctured lung and pneumonia

The retired painter and decorator had been ill with a chest infection in the week before he went away

The holidaymaker had taken out travel insurance, but Kevin's family claims his medical bills aren't covered as he didn't declare his chest infection before travelling.

As a result, the Brit has been left with bills of at least £30,000.

Kevin's daughters, Sam Turner, 44, and Natalie Fowell, 40, have set up a GoFundMe to help cover the hefty charge and get him home to the UK.

Sam, from Winsford, Cheshire, described how the situation was 'really, really scary because obviously you're helpless'.

She added: 'You're over here and you don't know what's going on.'

Kevin's daughter explained how he had told the GP about the trip: 'He did also say he was due to go on holiday, and there were no warnings or concerns around that [from the doctor] so he thought he was good to go.

'They just gave him enough medication for going away and that was it.'

Kevin is currently still in intensive care and his medical bills may rise as his treatment continues.

The family contacted the insurance company and claim they were told the charges wouldn't be covered as Kevin didn't declare the ongoing chest infection on his travel insurance before flying.

Kevin, pictured with partner Joy, didn't declare his chest infection to his travel insurance because he felt assured by his doctor that he was 'good to go'

The Brit landed in Alicante at midnight and had a bite to eat and a drink before going to bed. At this point, he was 'feeling a bit off'.

But, Sam revealed: 'It got progressively worse from there.'

She explained: 'By the next day the pains were just so much that in hindsight he probably already had pneumonia when he got on the flight, but he wasn't aware.

'Joy rang me from the hotel and said "I've had to call him an ambulance, he's not good". And we were like "Right, OK, get him to the hospital", trying to get updates all the time.'

Doctors in Spain also diagnosed Kevin with a punctured lung and said the chest and stomach pain were caused by 'air and gases that had built up and had to be drained'.

Sam flew out to be with her father on May 30 and went straight to his hospital bedside.

Plenty of other travellers seem to be making medical claims abroad, too, and d ata from the NHS Business Services Authority, obtained by travel insurance comparison site PayingTooMuch, shows UK holidaymakers racked up £181.7 million in overseas healthcare costs.

In 2025 alone, more than 102,000 claims were made using government healthcare insurance EHIC and GHIC cards, highlighting how often Britons become ill or suffer injuries while travelling.

Kevin's daughters Sam Turner (pictured) and Natalie Fowell have set up a GoFundMe to help cover the hefty charge and get him home to the UK

Spain recorded the highest number of claims, with 41,454 cases worth £24.1 million, accounting for more than four in ten claims.

Poland ranked second – despite being only the ninth most-visited destination for UK travellers.

The country recorded 22,249 claims worth £5.3 million, placing it ahead of popular destinations such as France and Italy .

Germany, meanwhile, saw 6,559 claims costing £5.2 million, while France recorded 4,085 claims worth £9.3 million.