Dubai: A man who lost his one-year-old son last week is struggling to pay off hospital expenses to the tune of Dh130,000 accumulated during the course of the baby's treatment.
Little Mohammad Ansar Saheb died on Wednesday after being admitted nearly a month ago to Zulekha Hospital with myoclonic epilepsy. He had been confined to the intensive care unit with the daily treatment costs running up to Dh5,000.
The father, Ayoub, is from India and works as a messenger at a semi-government department in Dubai. He said he had Mohammad admitted to the private hospital after several unsuccessful attempts to get treatment at government hospitals which were either short of beds or ventilators.
He told Gulf News that after many attempts to have Mohammad shifted out to a government hospital, the baby was finally accepted last Friday at Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah.
Insurance setback
"My only son passed away on Wednesday afternoon," the devastated father said. "I wish I could have given him my life," he said.
"My office gives us health insurance but the insurance company refused to cover my baby's medical cost," he said.
The insurance company rejected the claim stating that the particular illness was not covered under their policy, Ayoub said. Noting that the patient had no insurance cover and because of the hefty charges involved, the hospital authorities urged him to shift Mohammad to a government hospital.
Ayoub said his bill at Zulekha Hospital totalled Dh161,000 over a month but with the help of people he had been able to pay of Dh30,000.
"When I shifted my son to Al Qasimi Hospital, the management of Zulekha Hospital held my passport and made me sign a cheque with the total amount of the hospital bill," he said.
He said he is planning to bury his son in the UAE because he cannot travel to bury him back home. "The hospital is holding my passport so I cannot take the body back home," he said.
He said his son had developed high fever and shortness of breath when he first took ill and had been admitted to ICU at Zulekha Hospital on February 5 with "severe respiratory distress and coughing".
The hospital carried out more than 10 medical tests on his son every day, he recalled.
