Holidaymakers have been warned to beware after a prominent trade body representative was left stranded in Spain after suffering a heart attack on a short break to celebrate a silver wedding anniversary.
Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, spent more than three weeks in the country as representatives of the insurance company insisted on seeing his medical records from back home, told him he had to remain for 21 days and then that he also needed to be accompanied by a doctor on the return flight.
This was despite cardiologists giving him the go-ahead that he was fit to fly within days after being discharged from the hospital following surgery and the insertion of multiple stents, Mr Kelly said.
The business leader was told that if he flew home against the advice of the insurance company, Admiral, and a firm called CEGA contracted to assist, he would be liable for the substantial costs in the unlikely event of an emergency and the plane having to divert in mid-flight.
“I thought we are going to be here until it’s Christmas at this stage,” Mr Kelly said after the return to his home city of Derry. I decided to book the travel and fly home.”
He and wife Carole paid €700 for flights to Dublin on April 7 and took out another insurance policy to cover the trip, at a cost of £470.
They then took a bus to Belfast International to pick up their car for the last leg of their journey home, 24 days after first flying out.
“The airport was very good, they gave us a 10% discount,” said Mr Kelly.
Alicante in Spain 
Stephen Kelly was out of action for several weeks ahead of Manufacturing Month 2026, taking place in May, pictured with business facilitator Rachel Doherty PICTURE: DARREN KIDD (DARREN KIDD)
“The crew of Artemis II have been millions of miles around the moon quicker than they’ve been able to, unsuccessfully, get me back from Alicante,” he joked wryly in a social media post just before the couple finally flew home.
But Mr Kelly insisted there was no point in speaking out unless he could pass on useful tips for others to know if they find themselves in the same or similar position.
These are to buy the best insurance you can afford, print it out, but be aware of any detail that invalidates coverage, get European travel abroad insurance, a GHIC/EHIC, and know that a process reliant on GP records from back home is going to place many people in an impossible situation.
And give up smoking, he added.
In a statement, Admiral said that while treating clinicians overseas “may indicate that a customer is fit to fly, customers are only repatriated” after CEGA has confirmed it is medically safe to do so.
“We also carry out medical history checks with a customer’s GP to confirm policy cover,” a spokesperson said, adding Mr Kelly was advised he was “unlikely to be fit to fly unescorted” for 21 days after diagnosis.
The company confirmed it received two reports he was fit to fly, but that during a telephone call on March 31 Mr Kelly reported palpitations, a claim disputed.
Another report was ordered but there were delays so Mr Kelly sourced his own cardiologist, which again found he was fit to fly and was received by CEGA on April 5, now 20 days after diagnosis.
“Due to logistics and flight availability, the earliest escorted itinerary available” was eight days later, Admiral said.
The couple’s odyssey began with the flight out to Alicante on March 14 for a four-day break, with the plan to celebrate the anniversary on St Patrick’s Day.
On the Sunday evening, Mr Kelly took unwell and collapsed. An ambulance was called and within two hours of arriving at the hospital he was diagnosed as having suffered a heart attack, underwent surgery and had three stents inserted. Two more followed.
After a period in intensive care, he was discharged from hospital on March 18.
“I was very lucky in the hotel with my wife and lucky I was in Spain where the health service just got stuff done,” Mr Kelly said.
It was also the type of heart attack, on the right-hand side, where the mortality rate is low, adding that if it had been “down the left, it is lights out by the time you hit the floor”.
His interaction with a company contracted by the insurance company to assist people in his situation began in intensive care when he was asked to fill out certain documents “essential to get assistance”.
Then he was asked for his GP medical records to cover the surgery and hospital stay.
“I managed to get an emergency copy of GHIC/EHIC and when that was produced the hospital said no problem, it is sorted.”
In total, between flights, new insurance, parking, hotel bills, food, transport, phone calls and sundries, Mr Kelly estimates they were out of pocket an estimated £6,000.