A Filipino national headed to Riyadh to join work as a carpenter who had started vomiting blood on-board a plane that made an emergency landing at Kolkata airport, is admitted to a private hospital in Chinar Park, on the fringes of New Town, for the past several days.
It is uncertain when Ariel Geraldizo Ramos, 46, can return to his country as he hails from an extremely poor family and has not yet been able to arrange funds for his treatment.
“My family is not well off and my flight fare and visa cost were taken care of by the company I was to join. However, the doctors and nurses have been taking care of me,” Ramos told The Telegraph.
He was admitted to the hospital on November 17.
Ramos said he had suddenly felt very dizzy before he was struck by a bout of vertigo while on the flight. “The next thing I knew, I was coughing up blood and felt extreme breathlessness. The flight crew tried their best to help me before the flight landed here,” he said.
Ramos has travel insurance but the company has told the hospital that it is not a cashless policy. “The insurance company officials have told us that his policy is not cashless and the charges will get reimbursed once the payment has been made,” said Ipshita Kundu, CEO, Charnock Hospital, where Ramos is admitted.
The hospital bill till now is around Rs 6 lakh.
The hospital authorities are in constant touch with Ramos’s wife. “We are arranging regular video calls for him to speak with his wife and kids. Although he can speak English, his wife cannot. It is through him that we are conveying updates about his health,” said Kundu.
“His wife said she is trying to arrange for the money by speaking to government officials in their country.”
Ramos is responding well to treatment, Kundu said.
Officials from the Philippines embassy are in touch with him and the hospital. “We are aware of the problems that Ramos has been facing. We are trying to extend help in every way,” said an embassy official.
