A Malaysian woman’s vacation in Japan took a terrifying turn after she contracted the flu, which then led to pneumonia on top of having to pay thousands of ringgit per day for her hospitalisation.
China Press reported that the traveller, identified as Qin (transliteration), travelled to Japan with her family on January 4 and became ill on January 6 while mountain climbing in Hokkaido, initially assuming the cold winter caused the flu.
After that, her son and a driver headed to several pharmacies in the area for medicine but claimed they could not find the appropriate medication, alleged that the pharmacies only provided asthma medication.
She added that upon touching down in Japan, she saw very few locals and tourists wearing masks and eventhough she herself took precautions wearing a mask during the trip she contracted the illness.
Regarding her hospital bills, she was required to pay for her hospitalisation in cash upfront eventhough she bought travel insurance, prompting her return to Malaysia as she feared she would not be able to afford the fees.
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She also alleged that the daily hospitalisation fee reached up to RM15,000 and said the treatments administered to her in the Japanese hospital made her feel “extremely uncomfortable”, as quoted, making it another reason to immediately return to Malaysia.
“I told the hospital I didn’t have that much cash, so they asked me to sign a disclaimer stating that they would no longer be responsible once I was discharged,” she was quoted as saying.
Following her hospitalisation in Japan, it was found that Qin had low oxygen levels. She faced communication issues due to the language barrier. Fortunately there was a Chinese translator present.
“I told them (about) my condition, and the hospital only gave me oxygen once and kept me on an IV drip, but I still felt short of breath,” Qin was quoted as saying.
Qin alleged she could not breathe properly during her hospital stay, not eating anything and vomiting the next day after consuming painkillers (paracetamol).
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The recovery process was a struggle and Qin was afraid she would not be able to return to Malaysia with her current medical condition but thankfully she managed to board a flight as soon as her fever subsided.
Once she was admitted for hospitalisation in Malaysia, her oxygen levels were said to have dropped dangerously low and needed more than 10 inhalations the same day she was admitted eventhough patients are typically administered two types of medication to inhale.
“The doctor said I had to be admitted to the (Intensive Care Unit) because my blood oxygen wasn’t recovering. I stayed in the hospital for 5 days and 4 nights, and after being discharged, I didn’t return to work immediately but instead isolated for a period of time. I’m now fully recovered,” she was also quoted as saying.
Furthermore, Qin found that her symptoms were similar to Taiwanese actress, Barbie Hsu, widely known as Big S, after receiving the medical report, feeling very grateful for her current situation.
Last Sunday, Big S passed away from influenza at 48 years old during a family trip in Japan.
