A COALSNAUGHTON man who has spent over a month trapped in a Filipino hospital as he struggles to repay a huge bill is set to return home.

George ‘Dougie’ Keiller is waiting for the British Embassy to arrange flights back to Scotland after the hospital agreed to a payment plan.

It comes as a relief for the father-of-three who has been in Polymedic General Hospital, in Cagayan De Oro City, since mid-February.

The 59-year-old said, “I’m on the verge of being discharged from hospital. They have agreed £1300 down payment with the balance payable in six months. I am just waiting on the embassy and airline to get things moving.” As exclusively reported in the Advertiser, Dougie was left stranded in the Philippines when he fell ill on a flight over to visit his fiancee, Evangeline Go (54). He ended up on life- support and it was six days before he realised what had happened – and by then he had racked up a £4000 bill.

Dougie, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which causes a narrowing of the airways, contacted his travel insurance which he got free through his RBS bank account.

However, the insurers refused to pay out as he didn’t inform them of his pre-existing lung condition.

It meant he was left stuck in the private hospital as they wouldn’t issue a discharge letter without payment, and without the letter he couldn’t fly as he required the use of oxygen on the flight home.

The hospital has now accepted a down-payment of £1300, which he raised through his brother and friends, and is allowing Dougie to pay the remainder within the next six months.