Fate of Comatose Filipina’s Child Hangs in Balance
DUBAI: The life of the four-year-old girl is now in limbo after her mother fell into a coma three weeks ago at a private hospital in Dubai.
The child has been sent to the Social Welfare Attaché of the Philippine Consulate in Dubai as her hospitalized mother is currently on life support, reported Khaleej Times.
The 46-year-old, who was working as a mail illegally, had suffered from intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), a life-threatening condition caused by bleeding inside the skull.
Her hospital bill has gone in excess of Dh300,000 and the prognosis is still unknown. The mother is an undocumented migrant and had been working illegally in Dubai, a consulate official reportedly said.
The mother and daughter have no known relatives in the country, and the father was deported last year for overstaying. The child was left with the mother’s flat mates for a couple of days before she was sent to the consulate, said the Dubai-based news portal.
“The child is now under temporary custody of a foster family as per the recommendation made by the social welfare attaché, which is suitable for the kid’s situation,” Philippine deputy consul-general Giovanni Palec reportedly said.
“We are working on her immediate repatriation to the Philippines; we are just waiting for the documents to be submitted by the father such as special power of attorney and a copy of the marriage certificate. The child still has a valid passport and the fare will be shouldered by the consulate,” Palec added.
Palec added a consulate staff has already visited the mother at the hospital and they are “evaluating the kind of assistance they can extend to the mother, but the priority for now is the child’s repatriation.”
Palec added the child’s case is not isolated as several instances have been reported before of children being left in limbo after their parents were hospitalized or sent to jail.
“Don’t put children at risk. Don’t gamble with their safety. If you have been working here illegally it would be better to send your kid/s back home so somebody can take care of them, if something happens to you,” Palec reportedly said.
Meanwhile, an official from the hospital told Khaleej Times the mother is “fully taken care of until she becomes stable.”
“We will continue to take care of her despite the increasing hospital bill and if somebody or a group of people will help to settle her bill, we will give generous discount,” the hospital official was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times.
(Source: FilipinoTimes.ae)