Pakistani gets heart attack in London quarantine after ‘medical aid denied’

LONDON: The London High Court has ordered the release from quarantine of a British Pakistani man who suffered a heart attack and almost died after staff at a quarantine hotel failed to notice that he was vulnerable and allegedly refused to offer him required facilities.

On May 18, Mohammed Rafiq, 58, returned to the United Kingdom on a flight from Pakistan where he had gone to visit his critically ill parents in District Kotli, Azad Kashmir. Rafiq lives in Aylesbury with his wife and children.

Upon arrival, he was transported from Heathrow airport and placed in a government approved quarantine hotel. Within a few hours, he suffered a severe heart attack and was hospitalised and almost died.

Arriving at the hotel, Rafiq tried to explain to staff that he was diabetic and that he needed to take insulin. He showed staff his GP’s letter confirming that he had been prescribed a specific type of insulin that he was authorised to carry on the flight and that he needed to eat specific foods at set times. Despite his best efforts, he said “no one listened” and he was “denied access to his medicines and food”. He was also initially denied from going out for a walk for fresh air. Rafiq’s health then began to rapidly deteriorate. He told The News that he became increasingly desperate, scared and broke down, begging for help. “Passengers in the hotel heard me crying and pleading for my life but the hotel staff ignored me and dismissed my actions as causing a scene,” he said. At 8:00pm that same night, he collapsed and was then transported to hospital in an ambulance in a serious condition.

Later that night he contacted solicitor Zahab Jamali and asked for legal help. Doctors at the University College Hospital in London acted promptly and helped Rafiq. They discovered that he had suffered a heart attack brought about by stress and the poor management of his diabetic condition. The following day, he had a stent inserted into his heart. While in recovery, he was told that he would have to return to quarantine after he was discharged.

His solicitor subsequently brought urgent proceedings in the High Court. A detailed examination of the case took place in court on May 25 resulting in a High Court judge ordering Rafiq’s release, subject to a doctor confirming the same. The doctor soon confirmed that he should be released but he was moved back to the same hotel under the same conditions at around 5pm.

After a lot of communication and threats of legal action, the hotel agreed to release him after allegedly refusing to even look into the case. Rafiq is now recovering at home with his family but says the entire ordeal has left him “scarred for life”.

Barrister Zahab Jamali said: “This case is one of many others to raise serious questions about the duty of care owed by the government to travellers. The question as to whether adequate safeguards are really in place to protect those who are most vulnerable has been raised time and time again. The cavalier approach of the government, the airport and the hotel staff almost resulted in the death of a clearly vulnerable individual. When the very objective of the red list and quarantine system is to prevent death and save lives, are the most vulnerable afforded the same protection?” A hotel source confirmed that Rafiq was taken to hospital and later on discharged on the court’s order but made no comment about his health situation.