Rugby: Worcester Warriors issue statement in response after Michael Fatialofa's tweet over unpaid medical bills

Michael Fatialofa. Photo / Photosport

By Liam Heagney of RugbyPass.com

Worcester Warriors have issued a statement in response to a tweet on Tuesday from former Hurricanes lock Michael Fatialofa who hinted that the disagreement over his medical bills has not been resolved.

The 28-year-old was hit with a six-figure medical bill in July last year after spending months in hospital to recover from the broken neck he sustained during a match in January 2020 at Saracens.

Fatialofa posted a tweet which suggested his medical bills still have not been covered. "Hopefully the Worcester Warriors will finally pay my hospital bill this year," wrote Fatialofa, a post that has now brought a response from Worcester.

Hopefully the @WorcsWarriors will finally pay my hospital bill this year 🤞🏾

— Michael Fatialofa (@michaelfats) February 9, 2021

"We are disappointed and surprised to read Michael's comment on social media about outstanding hospital fees as we have heard nothing from him or anyone since he returned from New Zealand before Christmas," read a statement from Worcester.

"To be clear we will always be here to support him and are just a phone call away. We are also concerned that the hospital where he was treated still seem to be contacting Michael about unpaid fees because we are also waiting for a response to our last communication with them.

"The club has already paid the fees it was responsible for – running into tens of thousands of pounds – which was over and above the club's obligations and insurances. Neither the club nor Michael are responsible for any additional fees.

"We invited the hospital to follow the correct procedure and claim the fees from the clinical commissioning group, with our full support and thanks for the care shown to Michael. We have heard nothing back from the hospital or the CCG and this is the first we have heard from anyone on this issue.

Club statement | Michael Fatialofa

— Worcester Warriors (@WorcsWarriors) February 9, 2021

"The situation remains as we stated in our previous statement last July. We have done everything we can to move matters forward. We did contact the hospital as promised and even chased a reply. We are still waiting for a response from them. Only the hospital can put the request into the CCG, not us, that is not how the system works.

"It appears Michael has misunderstood the correct procedure on this, but we remain committed to supporting him on resolving these fees. We care deeply about Michael, have a desire to support him, we went above and beyond on his rehabilitation even after his contract had finished – including paying for visas – and want him to know we will always be here for him.

"HCR Law, our club lawyers, are on standby to protect Michael if the hospital tries to claim the fees from either of us instead of following the correct procedure and submitting a claim to the CCG.

"We are happy to speak with the Pacific Islanders Player Association and would be grateful for any help they can offer in protecting Michael. The Royal Buckinghamshire hospital did a fantastic job of caring for Michael and we are hopeful they do not sour what is otherwise a fantastic success story in Michael's miracle recovery from such a serious injury. We await their response."

This story first appeared on RugbyPass.com and has been republished with permission.