British army veteran forced to pay £20k NHS bill for rest of his life after heart attack

Steve Foreman, pictured second from left (Image: SWNS)

Steve Foreman, 73, was working on an oil rig in Ogaden, Ethiopia when he collapsed from a heart attack at 62.

The army veteran was airlifted to Nairobi, Kenya where he suffered a catastrophic cardiac arrest and fell into a coma for 13 days. After enduring total organ failure and several infections, he was flown back to the UK and transferred to Worksop Hospital in Yorkshire.

However, after two months in hospital, he was hit with a £20,000 bill from the NHS. Despite being a British citizen, he was informed that he was not entitled to NHS services as he had been working outside the UK for more than two years.

Steve, from Stepney but who now lives in Croydon, south London, said: "We kicked up about this and got our local MP and the Veterans' Foundation to help. "Our MP got onto the Department for Health and Social Security and they said I am an overseas visitor and have to pay.

"I was on a walking frame as I had lost use of my muscles after all that time in hospital. I eventually got better but they put me into the hands of a debt collector. I said - 'I'm not paying; that's not our problem.'"

Steve, who was born in the UK, worked until he was 19 when he joined the British Army. He later worked on security contracts in Africa and the Middle East for security risk management companies and was providing security management risk on an oil rig in the desert when he fell ill.

The father-of-two was flown back to the UK and underwent seven laser correction surgeries to fix the emergency tracheotomy he was given in Kenya, which he says had gone wrong, followed by rehabilitation. However, upon leaving the hospital, he was presented with a bill.

Steve's brother, Grant, 65, insists that NHS staff informed him that if Steve had worked in the country for 10 years continuously and paid national insurance, he wouldn't have to pay. They were later told that this only applied if it was not more than two years ago - a rule Grant claims he was not informed of at the time.

Steve says after being threatened with court action, he was made to complete a financial statement self-assessment which calculated his income.

He went through his finances and decided he could manage £50 a month.

This arrangement continued for four years, with Steve paying out around £1,800, until he received a letter in 2019 instructing him to pay into a different account. Fearing a scam, he stopped paying.

Steve returned to Africa to be with his daughter, now 17, and his ex-wife, but the debt collectors continued to pursue him. However, he refused to pay, believing it was "morally wrong".

Steve Foreman spent three months fighting for his life in critical care (Image: SWNS)

When Steve returned to the UK last year to support his daughter's education and registered with a doctor, the debt collectors threatened him with legal action unless he resumed payments.

Steve has now agreed to pay £50 a month for the next 30 years. He currently receives pension credit, having been made homeless in May 2024 after being evicted.

He lives with his daughter, who is studying for her A-levels, in temporary accommodation provided by Lambeth Council, and describes himself as "right on the breadline at the end of each month".

"Anytime I want to buy new clothes I have to think about this," he said.

"I'm fed up paying it."

Steve was given a tracheotomy (Image: SWNS)

I have spoken to a solicitor who said I shouldn't be paying. I am an army veteran; I served my country twice in Northern Ireland and served in Berlin and yet there are people who get off the boats and get free NHS treatment.

"I owe £18,000 to the NHS and I'm broke and 73 and will never work again. I just want them to drop the debt."

I have now contacted the collectors and I'm not paying anymore regardless of what the"A spokesperson for Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: "As an NHS organisation, we are legally required to follow national regulations and guidance when assessing whether a person is entitled to free healthcare. These standards are set out in law and based on residency, not nationality.

As such, British citizens who live abroad may be charged for some services, depending on their individual circumstances and the type of care provided.

"We are committed to applying these legal duties fairly and consistently, and to ensuring that all patients receive any urgent or immediately necessary treatment."