Wife of father with leukaemia accuses air ambulance firm of 'blackmail'

A father-of-two with a rare form of leukaemia who was due to be flown to China on Tuesday remains in Malta, with his family blaming an air ambulance company for the setback. 

Abigail Borg, Sandro Grech’s wife, accused the air ambulance provider EMS Air Ambulance & Medical Repatriation Ltd, of "blackmailing" them.

“This delay is not our fault, but entirely a consequence of the actions of the air ambulance company,” Borg wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

Borg last week paid the company €148,650 for Grech to be flown out to Beijing.

She claims that the company was fully informed of Grech’s medical situation prior to making the first payment. However, after she paid, the company said it required an additional €80,000 payment, as Grech would need a larger-class aircraft.

On Tuesday, she wrote: “After we had already paid everything, this company not only demanded an additional €80,000, but also tried to force me to sign conditions that make no sense, including making public statements that do not reflect the truth. They wanted me to waive my legal rights to reclaim the overpaid funds. This is the money of the Maltese people. This is nothing but blackmail.”

Borg said they were ready to pay the additional funds for Grech to be flown out on Tuesday, but she was not ready to waive her legal rights.

“They even went so far as to attack our (High) Commissioner in London for being there to assist a Maltese citizen in difficulty,” she said. “Our lawyers have already warned them that we are holding them personally responsible for every hour of delay and for every risk Sandro is facing due to their tactics.

Borg is working with the Mater Dei Hospital's travel abroad unit to find another ambulance as soon as possible.

“I am confident and hold my head high, knowing that the Maltese authorities will never bow down to the threats of this company. When the Maltese people unite as one, nothing can stop us from achieving justice,” she said.

Questions sent to EMS on Saturday remain unanswered.

€600,000 raised 

Over the past three years, Grech has undergone intensive chemotherapy and two bone marrow transplants from his brother. Doctors later informed him that his only remaining chance of survival was participation in a highly specialised CD7 CAR-T clinical trial in Singapore.

A fundraiser was launched on December 11 to help cover the cost of this treatment, with the family seeking €500,000.

Within two days, by December 13, the €500,000 target was surpassed after the government contributed €250,000, adding to the €350,000 raised from the public.

But last week, Borg announced that Singapore was no longer a viable option as the clinical trial was going to end up costing them over €1 million. Instead, they managed to find a clinical trial in Beijing which was within budget.