Cancer-striken expat worker battles for life in Abu Dhabi

Ram Prasad is under treatment at the Oncology department at SKMC (SUPPLIED)

Published Saturday, September 29, 2012

By Anjana Sankar

Ram Prasad was like any other young man full of hope to build a better life for himself and his family in Nepal when he got his employment visa to the UAE. But the 25-year-old’s world has come crashing down as he is diagnosed with Leukaemia within three months of arriving in Abu Dhabi.

Prasad is under treatment at the Oncology department at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Centre (SKMC).

“I almost killed myself by refusing to eat after doctors told me about my condition. But now I have stopped worrying. My biggest consolation is that God almighty is watching from above he knows everything,” said Prasad with a disarming smile that did give away his pain and agony.

Prasad was a scaffolding worker with a construction firm in Abu Dhabi. He said he could earn only a month’s salary amounting to Dh 800 as the company remained closed for the next two months. As soon as his work resumed, Prasad fell ill. After initial tests, he was diagnosed with Leukaemia by doctors at SKMC.

According to hospital sources, Prasad’s condition is complicated as they are not able to continue with chemotherapy. “After the first session, he became extremely ill and developed infection in the lungs. We are not yet able to diagnose why he is not responding to the treatment,” said a medical source at the hospital.

While he has left his fate to powers divine, Prasad is worried about his family in Nepal. He is the sole bread winner for his ageing parents and a younger sister who is going to school. “When I told my mother (about my condition), she asked me to come back. But what can I do to eke out a living. I will become a burden on them as my parents cannot even afford my treatment,” he said.

Moreover, Prasad has to repay the huge debt he incurred to pay for his visa agent. “I had to pay nearly Dh6,000 to the visa agent. The plan was to repay the debts with my salary but now my future is uncertain. As I said, everything is in the hands of God,” he added.

Life in the hospital is a greater pain, according to the young man. “Every day I am fighting with death. Lying on this hospital bed, I start loving this more than ever before as I see dying patients all around. It is like you understand the value of life when you see death at close quarters,” said Prasad.

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