When Veronique Fitzner’s twins were born prematurely in Vietnam their survival was put at 50/50. That’s when William Russell’s claims team came to the rescue.
Veronique Fitzner and her partner Markus Thuere discovered the value of William Russell’s private medical insurance cover and our family-focused commitment to personal service when Veronique gave birth to twin boys, five weeks prematurely in the international Franco-Vietnamese Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in February 2008.
Immediately after their birth Yannick needed advanced resuscitation and Felix needed oxygen to combat a form of pneumonia. Veronique was told that she would have to be transferred to a state hospital which had a neonatal intensive care unit. Unfortunately she was in for a shock at the standards she experienced, describing the hospital as being very overcrowded and unhygienic with rats running across the floor and offering very limited access to her babies.
We first heard about their case when the hospital contacted our claims manager, Katy Butler, in Kuala Lumpur to demand a guarantee of payment for the twins’ treatment. “We immediately guaranteed payment under Veronique’s Group Plan” said Katy. “When we saw the clinical reports, however, our medical team realised the seriousness of the case. Our chief medical officer estimated the twins chances at no better than 50/50 and immediately advised that evacuation by air ambulance to Bangkok was the best option.
“We used a combination of Veronique’s evacuation benefits and the twins newborn allowance to make sure that the parents had the maximum amount of money available from the Group Plan to ensure the twins received the best possible care. We worked round the clock to provide the parents with all the support and reassurance that we could at this critical time” Katy said.
Yannick was taken by air ambulance to Samitivej Hospital in Bangkok with his father while Felix, who was too ill to be moved, stayed in the intensive care unit in Ho Chi Minh City receiving continuous antibiotics, chest therapy and oxygen. By late February he had progressed sufficiently for the family to be reunited and mother and baby were flown to Bangkok. At the family reunion the twins were put in the same cot together for the first time.
Veronique Fitzner is delighted at the commitment and support shown by William Russell’s claims team. “I can’t speak too well of our insurers” she said. “All the initiatives came from William Russell, not from us, we were too concerned coping with the immediate problems. We expected to pay for the emergency evacuation for the twins but all the decisions William Russell made were in our favour.”
“We were delighted with William Russell’s service and have told all our friends. We were amazed that you got in touch with us before we even made a claim and then went out of your way to find ways to pay for the twin’s treatment and air evacuation without being asked. I really cannot thank you enough for everything that you have done for us and for Yannick and Felix, including all your kind thoughts and phone calls to see that all was well.”
Veronique Fitzner’s health plan cost her US$1,649 but we paid out a total of US $50,587 for the twins’ treatment and air evacuation, showing just how valuable top quality international private medical insurance can be when you really need it. The twins story ends happily too – they are now both fit and well and recently flew home to Berlin to meet their grandparents and other relatives for the first time.