Premature baby 'held hostage by hospital' over unpaid bill

Baby Ayda Ward was held "hostage" by a Turkish hospital for three months after her parents allegedly failed to pay the $177,000 medical bill.

British woman Adele Blake, 28, gave birth to her daughter Ayda three months early while she and partner Brandon Ward, 19, were on holiday, The Daily Mail reports.

The costly bill was to cover Ms Blake's caesarean section, follow up medication and a day spent at hospital by the baby.

However, the couple wrongly believed their insurance would cover the costs.

The "nightmare" went on for 77 days when the couple, from the UK, finally brought the police into the matter to rescue their baby.

“I can’t explain the pain this has caused us. I just hope that no-one else ever has to suffer such cruel and unnecessary treatment," Ms Blake told The Sun.

Ms Blake said they thought it "would be nice" to have a holiday with Mr Ward's family before the baby was born.

Adele’s GP had declared her “fit to fly” but three days after arriving at the Turkish resort she went into labour by the hotel pool.

“It was a complete shock and I panicked," she said.

“I knew it shouldn’t be happening. I was sobbing in the back of the ambulance.”

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Ms Blake was taken to the state-run hospital and rushed to a specialist paediatric unit, four hours away.

“Brandon wasn’t allowed to be with me as it’s not the done thing in Turkey so his mum Karen was with me,” she said.

“They strapped me down to a table for an emergency caesarean."

Ms Blake claims that as soon the anaesthetic started to wear off, the receptionist came into her room "demanding money".

“I was groggy and confused... they insisted I make a down payment,” she said.

It was another 10 hours before the new mum got to meet her baby.

The couple were forced to beg local police officers to intervene and free their baby before the young family was able to fly home to Yorkshire in September.