A 'helpless' British dad has been hit with a whopping £30,000 medical bill after being admitted to hospital while on holiday in Spain. 

Kevin Turner, 63, jetted off to Alicante with his partner Joy Peck in May but things took a turn after he didn't declare this one common ailment to his travel insurance.

The retired painter and decorator had been ill the week before he went away with a chest infection. 

However, after a course of antibiotics and steroids, he said he felt assured by his GP that he was 'good to go' and was prescribed more medication to account for being away.

But when Kevin landed in the popular Spanish destination he began to feel 'off' and put it down to the journey.

It was when his chest pains worsened the following day that Joy called an ambulance.

After being rushed to a hospital in Alicante, doctors discovered Kevin had a punctured lung and pneumonia and he was put in intensive care.

The holidaymaker had taken out travel insurance, but Kevin's family claims his medical bills aren't covered as he didn't declare his chest infection before travelling.

As a result, the Brit has been left with medical bills of at least £30,000.

Kevin's daughters Sam Turner, 44, and Natalie Fowell, 40, have set up a GoFundMe to help cover the hefty charge and get him home to the UK.

Sam, from Winsford, Cheshire, described how the situation was 'really, really scary because obviously you're helpless'. 

She added: 'You're over here and you don't know what's going on.'

Kevin's daughter explained how he had told the GP about the trip and continued, 'He did also say that he was due to go on holiday and there were no warnings or concerns around that [from the GP] so he thought he was good to go.

'They just gave him enough medication for the fact that he was going away and that was it.'

Kevin is currently still in intensive care and his medical bills may rise as his treatment continues. 

The family contacted the insurance company and claim they were told the charges wouldn't be covered as Kevin didn't declare the ongoing chest infection on his travel insurance before flying. 

The Brit landed in Alicante at midnight and had a bite to eat and a drink before going to bed. At this point, he was 'feeling a bit off'.

But, Sam revealed: 'It got progressively worse from there.'

She explained: 'By the next day the pains were just so much that in hindsight he probably already had pneumonia when he got on the flight, but he wasn't aware.

'Joy rang me from the hotel and said "I've had to call him an ambulance, he's not good" and we were like "right, ok get him to the hospital", trying to get updates all the time.'

Doctors in Spain also diagnosed Kevin with a punctured lung and said the chest and stomach pain were caused by 'air and gases that had built up and had to be drained'.

Sam flew out to be with her dad on May 30 and went straight to his bedside.

Plenty of other travellers seem to be making medical claims abroad too, and data from the NHS Business Services Authority, obtained by travel insurance comparison site PayingTooMuch, shows UK holidaymakers racked up £181.7 million in overseas healthcare costs. 

In 2025 alone, more than 102,000 claims were made using EHIC and GHIC cards, highlighting how often Britons become ill or injured while travelling. 

Spain recorded the highest number of claims, with 41,454 cases worth £24.1 million, accounting for more than four in ten claims. 

Poland ranked second - despite being only the ninth most-visited destination for UK travellers.

The country recorded 22,249 claims worth £5.3 million, placing it ahead of popular destinations such as France and Italy. 

Germany, meanwhile, saw 6,559 claims costing £5.2 million, while France recorded 4,085 claims worth £9.3 million.