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29 March 2024

Couple seek help to save premature baby

Published
By Sneha May Francis

A young Indian couple is struggling to pay huge medical bills to care for their 28-week-old premature-born baby boy at Latifa hospital in Dubai.

“My baby boy is in the NICU, which costs Dh3,500 per day,” informs Abhilash Sathyam, who moved to Dubai in 2004 from Alappuzha in Kerala. Although he works as a fuel engineer, his company doesn’t provide him with medical cover, making the payment for his son’s medical care extremely tough.

Apart from looking at borrowing cash from friends and family, he is also contemplating to take loans against his credit card. “I don’t know how I will be able to collect so much money. I don’t know the exact amount, but my basic calculation totals to around Dh200,000 for the entire treatment.”

His son was born on May 11 after his wife Parvathy developed several complications at the seventh month of pregnancy.

“Her blood pressure had shot up and she complained of excruciating headaches and was vomiting. Her legs were swollen,” recalls the husband, adding that he first rushed her to a private hospital in Dubai on May 10, where she was medicated to control the BP.

Abhilash, who was all set to fly his wife Parvathy to India on May 18 for the delivery, was told that she was suffering from Preeclampsia, which could be life-threatening if not treated in time, so she was immediately admitted.

“The doctors told me that they needed to monitor her, and if the need arrives, they might have to do a C-section to save both the mother and child,” he narrates, adding that since the NICU pricing was steep, he was advised to shift his wife to GMC hospital in Ajman, which provides free NICU service.

“The same evening, I took her to Ajman, but we were told that they provide the facility only for 32-week-old babies. So, we had to shift to Latifa hospital, which offers subsidised rates and accepts babies from the 26th week.”

The same night she was shifted to Al Wasl, where the doctors continued monitoring her progress.

“The next afternoon, they carried out a C-section,” he says, adding, “My son weighed 940gm at birth.”

The wife, however, continued treatment even after the delivery for recurring headaches and high BP, but was discharged after 10 days. “She continues her medication at home, which was been upped to relieve her of the pain.”

Abhilash’s wife has still not completely recovered from the ordeal, refusing to go to the hospital for any further treatment or to even see her baby. “I think she’s guilty of incurring this expense. She refuses to go to the hospital thinking she might get admitted if she did. I’ve got her parents here, and I can see the improvement in her behaviour ever since they’ve arrived.”

Right now, priority is given to their baby, who will need to be in the NICU for another 30 days. “He also has developed a heart condition, which is common to premature-born babies, and might require a surgery to correct it. The doctors are waiting and watching his condition.”

Abhilash and Parvathy also have a five-year-old son, who has “shown immense courage and has coped well with the situation”.

With so much happening around them, the parents haven’t had a chance to name their new-born. “We haven’t even named him. We are just not in the right frame of mind.”

While his wife is recuperating at home, Abhilash is busy juggling work and doing the hospital run to deposit the mother’s milk for his new-born. “His weight gain is very slow. He will have to stay in the hospital till the weight increases to at least 1.5 kg.”

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