AN 85-year-old great grandfather was left for more than four hours in a hospital corridor without treatment while suffering a stroke on holiday in Spain.

Sydney Greenhalgh was together with family members in Tenerife last month when he was taken to a private hospital that refused to accept their insurance, despite it covering private healthcare.

The hospital would not move him to the nearest public facility, which was more than an hour’s drive away, and his family finally had to fork out €2,000 to get him the treatment he needed.

Mr Greenhalgh, who has three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, has now returned to his home in Clyde Terrace, Radcliffe, and is recovering well after the ordeal, but his family have been left fuming at the way they were treated.

Granddaughter Zoe Hardman said: "We were absolutely livid. It was neglect, simple as that.

"We were taken to this private hospital, which we were told should have been covered by our insurance, but they refused to treat him. We even had to pay €70 for the ambulance on the spot.

"We were told he was suffering from a small stroke and that there was the potential for him to have a blood clot. The doctors said it was dangerous for 48 hours.

"When I got there, he was deteriorating rapidly and slurring his words, but they refused to help him. Then once we handed over our own money they were on it within five minutes."

Mr Greenhalgh was on holiday with his granddaughter, her husband, and their three children when he was taken ill. Since returning home on August 8, the family have been reimbursed for the medical bills.

She added: "It was a dreadful situation. Thankfully he is now treated and safe. He has come on leaps and bounds since we came home and he's doing really, really well."

The hospital is managed by Hospiten, which refuse to accept payment from Mayday Assistance –a firm employed by insurers to provide emergency medical assistance.

Richard Warburton, managing director of Mayday Assistance, said: "They [Hospiten] haven't accepted billing from us for some time. This is a historical problem that has gone on for about six years and isn’t unique to us. We work all over the globe and this is the only hospital group which doesn’t work with us.

"We have told them in the past not to admit any of our customers and to move them to other hospitals. We're in a situation that none of us want."

The company has since instructed solicitors in Spain to contact Hospiten to resolve the dispute, and Mr Warburton advised that it is better to seek treatment in public rather than private hospitals while holidaying in Europe.

He added: "We spoke to the family on a number of occasions during the ordeal and they did not express any unhappiness with our role in the situation. It is unfortunate that they had to pay their own money for the treatment but they have been reimbursed and were out of pocket a very short time.

"The insurance Mr Greenhalgh had is unique in that it covers private hospital care in Europe, rather than just public healthcare. Unfortunately he was taken to a hospital that does not accept payment from us.

"If it had been a more serious illness, then we would have moved him to a government hospital immediately."