Belgian Doctors Bill U.S. for Treating Iraqi Girl

[IChing]

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian doctors sent an Iraqi girl home on Thursday after treating her for leg wounds caused by a bomb during the U.S. invasion -- and sent the 51,570 euro ($66,650) bill to the U.S. embassy.



"We haven't heard from them yet," said Bert De Belder, coordinator of the humanitarian agency Medical Aid for Third World which brought the girl to Belgium.

"I'm curious to know their reaction," he told Reuters. "We're giving them 10 days to respond ... I don't think they will pay it.">>>>>snip
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050428/ts_nm/iraq_belgium_dc/nc:732;_ylt=ArX2kbpsNUcHCL_BNryG4D90bBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

I'm having trouble getting the link to work

[Inland]

1. US submits bill to insurance company, and it's denied. nt

[IChing]

2. The Belgium doctors are only following International Law

De Belder said he sent the bill to the U.S. embassy because international law dictated that an occupying force was responsible for the well-being of the country's people. U.S. embassy officials were not immediately available for comment. ($1=.7737 Euro)

From the news feed.

[LibDemAlways]

3. Oh man...

Imagine if the US was forced to pony up for all the deaths and injuries we've caused over there. The deficit would double. What a nightmare.

[BlueIris]

4. The deficit might do considerably more than double, depending

on which source you believe about casualty figures.

[IChing]

5. What a cluster f*ck

Doctors brought Kassim to Belgium last year to try to save her left ankle, seriously injured by a cluster bomb that also killed her brother in Baghdad in 2003.

After five operations and weeks of physiotherapy, Kassim is able to walk again, but with a slight limp.
The girl, 15-year-old Hiba Kassim, smiled to reporters as she waited for her flight to Jordan to meet her father.

"Thank you, Belgium," she said.

[MountainLaurel]

6. U.S. soldiers

Often can't get the government to pay for their treatment (specifically, I'm thinking of some articles the WashPost did about amputees and PTSD cases who went round and round with the bureaucracy to get disability payments). And these eeevil Europeans think the U.S. is going to pony up for a maimed little heathen? Bwaaahaaaa!

:sarcasm:

[billyoc]

7. link

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050428/ts_nm/iraq_belgium_dc_1

[IChing]

8. thanks, for updating my link.

I think they plan to make this an international issue that could open a can of worms for the US

[Moderator]

9. kick to combine

[rainbow4321]

10. Belgian doctors bill US for treating Iraqi girl

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10122937

Belgian doctors sent an Iraqi girl home on Thursday after treating her for leg wounds caused by a bomb during the US invasion - and sent the US$66,650 (NZ$91,490) bill to the US embassy.

"I'm curious to know their reaction," he told Reuters. "We're giving them 10 days to respond ... I don't think they will pay it."

Doctors brought Kassim to Belgium last year to try to save her left ankle, seriously injured by a cluster bomb that also killed her brother in Baghdad in 2003. After five operations and weeks of physiotherapy, Kassim is able to walk again, but with a slight limp.

De Belder said he sent the bill to the US embassy because international law dictated that an occupying force was responsible for the well-being of the country's people. US embassy officials were not immediately available for comment.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. Bush stiffed a hotel

for a campaign bill....you think he'll pay for this?

[icymist]

12. Will this go into collections if Bu*h stiffs then on the bill?

You know, in less than six months us common folk won't be able to get away from such bills! Thanks a lot B**h!

[struggle4progress]

13. kick