Alberta mom left with $30,000 air ambulance bill after premature birth

An Alberta woman had no choice but to take an air ambulance after suddenly going into labour 32 weeks early.

But now she’s left with a hefty medical bill, struggling to pay it off.

Amy Savill, a mother of two from High Prairie, was visiting her family in Northern Ontario when she unexpectedly went into labour, reported CTV News.

She was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital.

But according to the Toronto Star, the hospital in Timmins wasn’t equipped to handle births prior to 32 weeks gestation.

An air ambulance was called in to transport Savill to a hospital in Sudbury, about four hours away.

The price for the air lift ended up being $30,000.

“At that point it was life or death for my baby, so we said we’ll figure it out later,” Savill told CTV News.

When she arrived in Sudbury, Savill underwent an emergency caesarean section and gave birth to a baby girl, Amelia.

Now Savill is left to cover the air lift in spite of Canada’s universal health care.

“Ontario won’t cover because we’re not from here,” Savill told CTV News. “Alberta is saying too bad you were out of province.”

CTV News got in touch with a spokesperson for the government of Alberta and was told that “out-of-province emergency air ambulance services and hospital transfers are not covered.”

The cost for air transportation is just the beginning for Savill, as costs keep mounting up.

It may be months before baby Amelia is released from the hospital, reported CTV News. Savill and her son have been staying in a hotel in Sudbury to remain by her daughter’s side.

Now a charity group called Global Angel is lending a helping hand. The organization has started raising money to help cover the baby’s transfer back to Alberta.

“It’s a tragic story, but it’s not an unusual story,” Gail Courneyea, founder of Global Angel, told the Toronto Star. “People need to realize travelling between provinces also brings with it a need for cover cost of transportation.”

The group has raised more than $7,000 of the $55,000 goal.