HE had lived in the US for about 30 years.

But when Wladyslaw Haniszewski fell into a coma in a hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, after suffering a severe stroke, he regained consciousness in the town of Boleslawiec in Poland. The New Brunswick hospital - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital - deported 69-year-old Haniszewski to his homeland because he had no medial insurance and was an undocumented immigrant. Polish officials are furious as Haniszewski or any of his family had never given their consent. "Imagine being carted around like a sack of potatoes," Polish Consul General Ewa Junczyk-Ziomecka told New York Daily News . "Behind our backs they transported the unconscious man to Poland,' she told Polish TV network TVN. "I cannot imagine such a situation that the decision about transporting an unconscious person could be made without agreement. Between the two institutions must be a contract, there must be documents. You cannot simply leave a patient at the door and drive away." Follow Junczyk-Ziomecka on Twitter The Boleslawiec hospital's deputy director, Nikolaj Lambrinow, said Haniszewski was not in a fit state to sign off on the transfer. He told TVN that Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital had contacted him regarding the transfer but before he agreed Haniszewski was dumped on their doorstep. "His status in Poland is the same as in the United States. He is a Polish citizen without an address, without certification, pension and insurance,' Lambrinow said, adding that his care was now costing hundreds of dollars a day. Junczyk-Ziomecka said she and other diplomats were trying to help Haniszewski, who had only been identified by friends. Haniszewski is awake but unable to speak with doctors. "He can smile from time to time, but he is unable to communicate," said Junczyk-Ziomecka. Haniszewski, who has a blood disease, lived for many years in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, before losing his job and his apartment and moving into a shelter, friend Jerzy Jedra told New York Daily News. Jedra took Haniszewski to the hospital - where he suffered the stroke - earlier this month. "This is a very good man who I saw on a daily basis for some 12 years," Jedra said. US hospitals are legally bound to provide emergency care to all, but can ship "undocumented patients" back to their homeland through a process called "medical repatriation." In order to do so the patient must be "stabilised". In many cases, the patient has an ongoing critical illness. The hospital must also get consent either from the patient, family or a court guardian. In Mr Haniszewski's case, first reported in the Polish-language newspaper Nowy Dziennik, consular officials say this did not happen. "It's an incredibly disturbing case,' Lori Nessel, director of the Centre for Social Justice at Seton Hall University School of Law told New York Daily News. "This kind of action seems clearly illegal and also not ethical, but it's hard to bring a legal action." A spokesman for the hospital said it had followed proper procedures. "The individual was informed regarding his discharge plan and care. As the hospital's understanding of the facts differs from the published reports, we are conducting a thorough review of the procedures and communications surrounding this gentleman's care," said the spokesman. He said the hospital only repatriates patients if they are satisfied a health care provider in the patient's home country will provide treatment. U.S. Immigration and Customs plays no role in medical repatriations, which are paid for by hospitals themselves as way of ridding themselves patients that need costly, long term care. The Centre for Social Justice says U.S. hospitals from at least 15 States have sent or attempted to send more than 800 immigrants back home since 2006.