Oldham NHS nurse forced to spend £12k to return from India

An Oldham NHS nurse has been left with a £12,000 bill after being stranded abroad when conflict erupted in the Middle East. Nandhini Kuppuswamy, known to colleagues as Nan, had travelled to India for private lupus treatment unavailable on the NHS, taking her family along for what was meant to be a brief holiday.

The family's return journey through Dubai was proceeding smoothly until the Iran conflict escalated suddenly, with all flights cancelled without warning. Stranded in the airport with no immediate way home, they were eventually moved to temporary accommodation, but after weeks of uncertainty, they returned to India to find an alternative route back to the UK.

After three weeks of disruption, the family finally secured flights home, but the only available route cost just under £12,000-a devastating blow that their travel insurance refused to cover because the disruption was caused by conflict rather than a typical travel issue.

Colleagues at Butler Green Primary Care Network in Chadderton have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the unexpected costs. Organiser. Melinda Cooke said: 'No one should have to shoulder this kind of financial burden alone.

The fundraiser aims to raise £4,500, and as of April 2 had reached nearly £700. Ms Kuppuswamy's colleagues describe her as 'one of the kindest, most resilient people we know, and she has handled this ordeal with strength and grace.