OREANDA-NEWS. July 21, 2011. Mr. Alexei Rogachev, insured with IC ROSNO under a standard traveler’s insurance policy, being on holidays in Turkey with his wife, was hospitalized on 02 July. He was admitted to the private hospital in Side in an extremely severe, life-threatening condition. According to his wife, for two previous days he suffered from abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting and general weakness. In the hospital, he underwent all necessary life-saving procedures, clinical and radiological tests, dialysis and other medical treatment required in his case. On 05 July, the patient was transferred for further treatment to the state hospital in Antalya, where he continues to stay at the moment, getting all necessary medical care. He is accompanied with his wife, Ms. Tatyana Rogacheva, who has no claims against the insurance and assistance company in respect of organization and payment for medical treatment, reported the press-centre of ROSNO.

Presently, Mr. Rogachev is in a state of induced coma, being connected to the life support equipment in the intensive care department, supervised by doctors. Thanks to the doctors’ efforts, his health has slightly improved, and he continues getting the necessary therapeutic care. His case has been recognized as an insured accident, and IC ROSNO pays for the therapy within the limits of the insured amount of 15 thousand US dollars under his policy.

Some mass media reported that Turkish medics were threatening to disconnect Mr. Alexei Rogachev from medical equipment. As a matter of fact, the Turkish law prohibits disconnecting patients from the life-support equipment. Moreover, we have not had a single case where a Russian citizen holding insurance policy would be refused medical treatment and "thrown out" from hospital, as some mass media wrote.

For now, the insurance coverage of 15 thousand US dollars is sufficient to pay for the provided medical care. The overall cost of stay and treatment in the private hospital in Side has equalled 7 thousand US dollars (in comparison, it would amount to just 5,700 US dollars in a state hospital).

Ms. Svetlana Schwab, Director of the Travelers Insurance Department of OJSC IC ROSNO:
"Indeed, at first the private hospital’s administration attempted to put pressure on Alexey’s wife. We suppressed this attempt very harshly, with the help of our lawyer. Unfortunately, similar behavior is demonstrated in certain cases by some private Turkish clinics. We view this as unacceptable, and in such situations we usually turn to the Russian consulate and even police. I would like to note that, in Turkey, it is usual to refer foreign patients in acute condition from hotels to private clinics — only Turkish citizens can be transported by ambulances to state hospitals. This is why Mr. Rogachev was dispatched to the nearest (given his life-threatening condition) private hospital. If the amount of insurance coverage is insufficient, we try to give the patient a medical treatment in private clinics, since they have much better diagnostic base and stay conditions than the state ones. Should insurance coverage under the policy be insufficient for payment for treatment in a private hospital, we transfer our clients to state hospitals — however, only in case of vacant beds and the hospitals’ consent to admit a foreign citizen. There is also another problem — if a patient’s condition is grave, private clinics try to overcharge for their medical services as much as possible. The experts of our service departments try to ensure maximum optimization of the cost of treatment, and in this particular case they have done their best during negotiations with the private hospital in Side to reduce it to 7,000 US dollars (initially, it was unreasonably overstated)".

On 08 July, the attending doctor consented to evacuation of A. Rogachev, but only by a special sanitary plane with necessary equipment and a resuscitation team. The cost of such flight is approximately 60,000 US dollars. Therefore, the policy coverage is not sufficient for payment for a sanitary plane (insurance companies pay for medical and medical transportation costs only within the limit of insurance coverage).

At present, all options for Alexei Rogachev’s transportation to Russia are being examined, and the payment issue is being discussed. We reported on this situation to the RF consulate in Turkey. On 11 July, the insurant’s wife was transported to the consulate to meet the vice consul and discuss assistance in arrangement of a sanitary aviation flight. We also turned for support to the Altai Kraj and the Russian Tourism Agency.