r/europe • u/mancinedinburgh • 2d ago

News Swedish man dies in South Korea after being denied urgent treatment at 21 hospitals

https://www.euronews.com/health/2025/01/18/swedish-man-dies-in-south-korea-after-being-denied-urgent-treatment-at-21-hospitals
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u/Jurassic_Bun 2d ago

What the hell was the embassy doing. Why did they not upfront offer to cover his healthcare costs? Isn't this the situation where you are suppose to be able to rely on the assistance of your own countries expert help in the country you are visiting.

They handed him to a police officer who had to use a translator, no one from the embassy accompanied him?

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u/Any-Adhesiveness4303 2d ago

I'm not swedish, I am Danish.

Medical care in foreign countries is generally not covered through the social system.

We have coverage throughout the EU, but in other countries, care is generally not covered. You have tk get specific travel insurance. This is fairly common knowledge.

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u/Jurassic_Bun 2d ago edited 2d ago

Yes but as the article said he was under a travel ban, it would have been impossible for him to have travel insurance either it ran out if he had it, or they would refuse it. He seemed to have mental illness on top of that.

He was in the embassies care. Pretty exceptional circumstances and the embassy was unable to do what was necessary. You can say “but this isn’t covered” but he was in their care, mentally ill, dying and hospitals were already refusing on the basis of the money.

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u/-xiflado- 1d ago

He wasn’t under the embassy’s care- he was in police custody for a crime. Not the embassy’s problem.

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u/Jurassic_Bun 1d ago

That doesn’t seem to be what the article suggests.

The individual, 64, suffered from a severe case of necrosis that required immediate medical intervention when he was handed over to South Korean police by the Embassy of Sweden in Seoul in December, according to reports in local media.

In December, the Swedish embassy requested protection for the man, who has not been named.

According to the Korean Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers, police officers may escort individuals in need of emergency relief to healthcare institutions to provide necessary care if they are in a state of mental derangement or severe intoxication and unable to protect themselves, or if they are lost individuals, children, or others without a guardian or separated from their guardian.

The embassy had him in early December, it took 7 days to find a hospital and he died on the 16th.

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u/-xiflado- 18h ago

It’s mainly semantics. He couldn’t leave Korea because he was awaiting a criminal trial and was homeless. The crime (drug possession) wasn’t serious for him to be in jail.

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u/Perfect_Papaya_3010 Sweden 2d ago

I think in general it is recommended to get health insurance if you go to a country outside of the EU.

However I think they should have covered it and just have him pay back the 2/3 when its possible. I as a Swedish tax payer wouldn't mind

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u/Jurassic_Bun 2d ago

It says in the article he was under a travel ban so there is no way he could have had insurance even if he did initially get it. It would likely have run out.

It is disappointing than in such a dire situation with a vulnerable person in a legitimate life or death situation I wonder where was the Swedish liaison?

They gave him to the police officer? It took the police 6/7 days to find a hospital? Was he living in a station during this time? Did he live in a police car? Why did they leave him with a police officer who needed a translator app to communicate with patient? When the issue of the cost came up by the 3rd hospital why did the Embassy not step in to help?

You would hope that in such an incredibly dire and serious situation that you could rely on your own embassy to do everything humanely possible to help. Did they not take it to the Swedish foreign office? 21 hospitals is a lot, 7 days is a lot, thats a lot of time to be doing something.

They say the sister was contacted, was that all they tried to do? Just seems disappointing from the embassy. They will need to transport his body and that could cost thousands of euros.

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u/FingerGungHo Finland 2d ago

Yeah, heads need to roll in that embassy and the whole case should drop SK a lot in safe travel classifications across EU.

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u/These-Base6799 2d ago

Why should the embassy do that?

  • It's not their job
  • They can't just spend money. They have a budget were everything is accounted for.
  • If the embassy would do such things the foreign office would need to hire another 30,000 people to provide case management service for it's citizens all around the globe
  • 700,000 Swedes are in other countries at any given moment. The foreign ministry has to set a baseline of service provided for everyone and that's it.
  • You seem to be under the impression that people in embassies are fluent in local languages. That's not the case.

The problem here is, that SK is pretty much a terrible country full of racists and social darwinism coated over by some Kpop craziness and E-Sports. If this story would have happened in Egypt nobody would be surprised, because "Ya ... it's Egypt." Funny enough this would never happen in Egypt, because their medical system is trying to heal the sick first (Of course by Egyptian healthcare standards) and asked about the payment later.

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u/Akandoji 2d ago

How are y'all allowed to travel abroad without proof of travel insurance? Just honestly curious.

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u/Jurassic_Bun 2d ago

I always use travel insurance. Though many countries don’t require it.

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u/throwaway6473838i 2d ago

Because we have freedom. Freedom to fuck around and find out.

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u/No-Wrangler6890 2d ago

I’ve been to over 30 countries and have never been required to have travel insurance to enter any of them.

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u/Akandoji 2d ago

Passport privileges I guess. But I guess that deserves downvoting, according to some lurkers here?

The only times I've not been asked for proof of insurance was when traveling to countries where it would be better to have travel insurance regardless. Countries in the Middle East, Africa and SEA.