An extremely pre-term baby boy — who was miraculously born last week after his mother had a near-death Caesarean section — is fighting strong to survive. Hospital bills, however, are now piling up for his parents.
Khaleej Times recently reported how a team of doctors at International Modern Hospital (IMH) successfully performed a near-death Caesarean section on the mother, Maryam Mohd Kalim Siddiqui, 31, who suffered cardiac arrest.
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Her heart stopped for more than 30 minutes and – after reviving her – the doctors immediately decided to perform an emergency procedure to save the lives of both the mother and her baby who was then only 27 weeks inside the womb.
Although the case had very low success rate, the doctors were able to save Maryam and the baby they named ‘Musa’. The little boy was born on May 26, weighing only 1.04kg.
“Maryam was discharged from the hospital on June 1 and is now recovering at home, but baby Musa was transferred to Burjeel Specialty Hospital, Sharjah, on May 30,” Nadeem Abdul Wali, the father, told Khaleej Times on Wednesday.
Expected medical expenses
“So far, I have spent about Dh45,000 on Musa’s and his mother’s medical care. The insurance company considered it a maternity case and covered only Dh9,000,” said Nadeem.
“In the past five days, I have paid more than Dh12,500 for Musa’s ventilator support,” said the expat whose last day at work was on May 26 – the day when Maryam was rushed to the hospital for emergency.
“It is estimated that we will require about Dh150,000 for his (baby Musa) care in the coming months.”
Nadeem was told that baby Musa would require ventilator support for about two months. “This is crucial for his organs to fully develop and function,” he said, quoting the doctors.
Nadeem, who will be joining another company in Saudi Arabia next month, is thankful to IMH and his former employer, family, and friends who extended help. He said his former company helped him get insurance approvals, but the coverage didn’t include baby Musa’s medical expenses.
“We are praying for additional support and resources to ensure that baby Musa recovers completely,” the parents said.
Aside from baby Musa, the parents also have a five-year old twins.