Sick baby leaves Dubai parents in desperate need of help to pay bill

The parents of a girl who has been in hospital for three months have launched a desperate appeal for help with their medical bill.

Risandi, who was born at 26 weeks. Her parents cannot pay the bill for her care without help. Antonie Robertson / The National

DUBAI // The parents of a girl who has been in hospital for three months after her premature birth have launched a desperate appeal for help with their medical bill, which has grown to Dh650,000.

Sameera Gallage and Imesha Madhavee, who have lived in the UAE for more than three years, were planning to go home to Sri Lanka for their daughter’s birth.

Their plans fell apart when Ms Madhavee was diagnosed with influenza. A Caesarean was performed and their baby, Risandi, was born at 26 weeks.

After the birth, Ms Madhavee had to be moved to Mediclinic Welcare Hospital, because the one in which she delivered did not have the facilities to treat her.

Her condition improved following the delivery and she was discharged soon after. But Risandi still needs medical help and has been in the hospital for 85 days.

Ms Madhavee’s bills were covered by her insurance company, which says the mother was not covered for pre or postnatal complications. The baby is not covered by the policy either.

“After a trouble-free pregnancy I developed a cough and had fever, and it was diagnosed as influenza. I went through a very hard time. No mother expects this and I had no family here to help,” said Ms Madhavee, a homemaker.

Mr Gallage, who works as an aircraft towing operator, said: “Due to my baby’s condition we were unable to shift her anywhere to reduce the bill. We hope our baby will come out of oxygen support within next two weeks, with the help of God.”

Risandi’s intensive-care bill at Mediclinic has risen past Dh550,000. The hospital said the total bill was about Dh650,000.

Friends helped Mr Gallage to pay Dh55,000 but he says he does not have the money to settle the bill, as he earns only Dh5,025.

Through a Facebook page that has gathered more than 500 likes, more people have come to know about the family’s situation.

Dr Khalil Ur Rehman, the consultant neonatologist who is treating Risandi, said the baby’s long stay and the complications had caused the bill to rise so high.

On average, basic care is more than Dh3,500 a day.

“The ventilator and other services required cost money and a lot of monitoring is required,” he said.

“The baby was born to a mother who had influenza and she was also sick and on a ventilator herself. We had to deliver the baby because both mother and baby were at risk.”

Dr Ur Rehman said the mother’s viral infection had caused some damage or deficiency to Risandi’s lungs.

“The baby has improved in the last couple of weeks and we may have to make some arrangement so she can go home,” he said.

A spokesman for Mediclinic Welcare Hospital said: “The daily cost for the special medicines, formulations and running of the advanced equipment in the NICU of any hospital is high.

“We have been updating the family on these costs as the baby has no insurance cover.”