Free trip turns costly when child born 3 months early
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 5, 2007 | 12:18 PM MT
CBC News
An Australian couple who won a trip to Western Canada plan to remortgage their home to pay for their baby's premature birth in Calgary.
Brendan and Inge Gallagher won the trip through his work in Sydney.
'… we got our little Canadian souvenir to take back with us.'—New father Brendan Gallagher
Inge's doctor said she was in good health and was fine to travel to Canada. But in Lake Louise, Inge started to feel unwell and was sent to Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary with high blood pressure.
Emillie Rose was born three months prematurely after Inge was induced on May 22. The baby weighed just 2.65 pounds.
The Gallaghers says Alberta's health-care system worked well for them, but they are now on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and will have to remortgage their home in Australia.
Brendan Gallagher says his family has health coverage in Australia and bought travel insurance before leaving on the trip.
"We have travel insurance [but] the travel insurance doesn't tick the box for pregnancy-related issues or baby care, so we're up for a lot for this one," he said.
The baby will be flown home Tuesday with a neonatal transport team.
Gallagher said he is happy his wife is well and the baby is healthy, but he wishes Canada and Australia had a reciprocal health insurance agreement.
"It would be nice to have a crystal ball — we wouldn't be here if we did — but we got our little Canadian souvenir to take back with us," he said.
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