WA woman's 'harrowing' ordeal stranded in Bali hospital after fall

A West Australian grandmother is facing a potential bill of $100,000 to return home to Australia after falling down stairs at a Bali restaurant.

Estelle Ravenscroft, 79, and her husband Keith remain in Bali, where Ms Ravenscroft is in the intensive care unit at a local hospital.

Ms Ravenscroft broke both her legs in the fall.

The harrowing ordeal has been exacerbated by mounting medical expenses as Ms Ravenscroft is not covered by insurance.

Mr Ravenscroft said it was difficult to obtain travel insurance, because of their age.

Indonesia is not among the 11 countries with which Australia has a reciprocal arrangement for publicly-funded emergency care.

Fight for life

Ms Ravenscroft's family said the 79-year-old had gone for lunch at a restaurant and fallen down the stairs, which had no rails. 

Speaking this morning, Mr Ravenscroft said his wife had pulled through after a nine-hour operation at a local hospital.

"It's been stressful and harrowing,"

he said.

"She's sitting up now, but there are some difficulties breathing, and issues with transfusions, but she's pulled through the operation OK, which is really fantastic." 

The couple's family has appealed to the community for help with expenses through an online fundraising website. 

"It's way, way, way beyond what we could have imagined,"

Mr Ravenscroft said.

Travel insurance costs soar

Mr Ravenscroft said travel insurance was increasingly difficult to obtain as people aged. 

"When you get a certain age, you'll find having the insurances that you think you can have, are not available," he said. 

"I'd prefer not to go into that, because I'm here at the moment to make sure that my wife is OK. I want to get her home.  The family wants to get her home." 

Ms Ravenscroft's sister Marilyn Jones said the family was grateful for the support offered by the WA community.

"The amount daily is climbing," she said.

Ms Jones said she was aware of commentary around the couple's lack of adequate travel insurance. 

"It's pulled us down terribly," she said.

"There are some not very nice people out there, but there are also some wonderful people out there.

"So we're just hoping that people can feel her pain."

Shop around for insurance

National Seniors Australia chief executive Chris Grice urged older Australians to investigate all options for travel insurance before travelling overseas.

"It's hard enough for folk to navigate the health system in Australia,"

he said.

 ''So I just feel so badly for someone who is caught in a foreign land, who perhaps can't get home because of the costs involved."

He said he was aware of seniors who struggled to get travel insurance as they aged, but urged people to persist.

"It depends on age and existing conditions," he said.

"It doesn't mean they can't get cover. It all depends on how they are being treated." 

He said people needed to try and speak directly to an insurer, rather than apply online, if they had concerns. 

An Insurance Council of Australia spokesperson said its thoughts were with the Ravenscrofts and acknowledged the strain many households were under.

"While cost of living is putting pressure on household budgets, a single overseas medical emergency, evacuation, or trip cancellation can cost far more than the premium of even a comprehensive policy," she said.