Calls for compulsory travel cover over Bali case

Travel cover for trips abroad should be mandatory, says MP.

Travel Insurance News - 29/09/2011

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An MP says people travelling abroad should be forced to buy travel insurance. The plea was issued after the family of an injured man was hit with a massive hospital bill.

Mathew Taylor, 30, was injured in a motorcycle crash in Bali. Following the accident, he was transferred to a Singapore hospital, where he is receiving treatment for severe head injuries.

Since the accident in July, the cost for Mr Taylor’s medical treatment has already reached £172,000, leaving his family in Derbyshire with a painful bill.

Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen, who represents North West Leicestershire, has made a public call for the rules to be changed. Though Mr Taylor was employed in Bali as a teacher rather than there on holiday, Mr Bridgen points out, the case highlights how important it is for Britons to ensure they have adequate insurance for trips abroad.

Mr Bridgen has suggested the implementation of a new system that would indicate at airport check-in counters that people were heading abroad without travel insurance. The MP pointed out that it is illegal for British holidaymakers to take their vehicles abroad without appropriate insurance but they can freely travel themselves with no travel cover.

Though many people are fortunate to enjoy their holidays without any problems, the Taylor case was ‘an absolute tragedy’, said Mr Bridgen. He said the case highlighted the risks people are taking.

<< Corrupt doctors accused of travel insurance fraud | Travel News | Kenyan tourism industry threatened by second kidnapping >>