Eltham granddad's body held 'ransom' for £20,000 in North Cyprus hospital

Ex-pat Richard Tivey, 73, died in February after retiring to Cyprus with his wife Carol in 2011 because the hotter climate helped his long-term Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Mr Tivey, a handyman who previously lived in Thaxted Road, New Eltham, collapsed in his garden in September last year and was moved between hospitals before his death at the Near East University Hospital.

His family were told they would have to pay a bill of £20,000 before his body can be released, just two hours after his death, said his granddaughter Charlotte Tivey.

Miss Tivey, 22, who lives in Erith said: “We went to the hospital on February 8 and pleaded to talk to someone about releasing my grandad’s body but no one in charge would speak to us.

“I even tried to negotiate a payment plan with one of the finance people but they refused it and insisted that we pay in full which we can't do, we don't have £20,000 in our back pockets.

“We've already paid a third of the total bill with whatever we could scrape together, so it’s not like we're going to do a runner.

“All we want is to be able to lay my grandad to rest and we can't do that because he is being held ransom for money, it’s disgusting.”

Charlotte Tivey with her granddad, Richard Tivey.

Miss Tivey, a make-up artist, had concerns about the quality of care at the hospital in the months leading up to her grandfather’s death.

The family were ‘gobsmacked’ by conditions at the first hospital, and although they were more optimistic when he was moved to the Near East Hospital, they were shocked by the cost of care and attitude of staff.

Miss Tivey said: “[When he moved hospital] he was riddled with deadly infections that if were not treated right away could kill him.

“He had horrific bed sores, he was skin and bone due to not being fed and hadn't been moved once.

“Although we were faced with these hard truths, the doctors at the Near East Hospital gave us an optimistic outlook.

“They were confident they could help and proposed a treatment plan for him, which they never fully acted on.

“Every promise that was made was never fulfilled. The level of care was not up to scratch for the amount of money they were charging, and every action of the hospital seemed to be reliant on money and not patient care.”

Mr Tivey's granddaughter said he was the "life and soul of any party".

Speaking about the devastating impact of the loss of their grandfather on the family Miss Tivey said: “My grandad was such an amazing person, he would do anything for anyone, he would take the shirt off his back for a stranger.

“He was loved by so many people and he touched so many people’s lives, he was always the life and soul of any party and done anything to put a smile on people’s faces.

“He always has and always will be my hero, he holds a big piece of my heart, and I can't even begin to explain how broken I am.

“He didn't deserve this horrific treatment, all we want is to lay him to rest and give him the send-off he deserves.”

News Shopper have contacted the Near East University Hospital in north Cyprus for comment.

Financial officer Ahmet Al Haj told Cyprus Today: “We tried our best for our patient and to give his wife hope, but it was his destiny.

“Different cultures have different views on medical intervention and we would welcome feedback from the BRS on protocols in this kind of situation.

“Keeping Mr Tivey’s body here may not be ethical but we are trying to help the family.”

To help the family raise the money to get Mr Tivey's body released visit their GoFundMe page.