Hopes for injured nanny's return home

Embassy officials remain hopeful an Indonesian nanny critically injured in an accident that killed three of her Emirati employer's children will be able to return home.

ABU DHABI // Embassy officials remain hopeful an Indonesian nanny who suffered severe brain injuries in a car crash that killed three of her Emirati employer's children will be able to return home. The nanny, NP, 24, is being treated at the Zayed Military Hospital after a car collided with her and the children near the Carrefour supermarket on Airport Road on June 29. She had worked for the family for 18 months.

"Even if there is no hope for her to recover, we are waiting for a miracle," said Hannan Hadi, the head of the consular section at the Indonesian Embassy. "We hope that she will be at least in a good enough condition to [be transferred] to Jakarta." The deaths of the three children - Shaikha Salem al Mansouri, four, and her sisters Damayer, six, and Mariam, seven - sparked The National's Road to Safety campaign.

Mr Hadi said a doctor at the hospital had outlined some of the medical procedures she had undergone. "He said that when she was still in the intensive care unit, they had to remove three parts of her brain. He recommended that the patient remain in hospital." A member of an official delegation from Jakarta who visited NP in May spoke to her in Javanese, Mr Hadi said. "We sensed that she could hear but can't respond to questions." He said the delegation, medical experts and embassy officials discussed the possibility of transferring the patient home to continue her treatment.

However, he added that there were two important considerations: the transfer would require an eight-hour flight involving changes in air pressure and temperature that could put NP at risk of further impairment; and the case involving the driver of the car in the accident is still active. "We are not involved in the criminal aspect of the case but we want to ensure that she receives high compensation," Mr Hadi said.

He said the hospital had already sent a medical report to the Abu Dhabi Police. "Hopefully, they will follow up the case," he said. The hospital report, prepared on December 13, said NP "requires continuous nursing care". "Regarding the patient's outcome at the present time, it is difficult to delineate. The patient needs to be evaluated after six months from the time of injury for a definite meaningful outcome," it added.

Mr Hadi said embassy officials planned to bring two of NP's relatives to Abu Dhabi as a humanitarian gesture. "It would be much better for them to be here when something happens to her instead of waiting for the news while in Indonesia." [e-mail]