Illegal maid hospitalised in Dubai; daughter in foster care

Dubai - The mother and daughter have no known relatives in the country, and the father was deported last year after overstaying.

 A four-year-old Filipino child has been sent to the Social Welfare Attaché of the Philippine Consulate in Dubai after her mother was hospitalised and is currently on life support.
The mother, 46, working as an illegal maid, has been in coma for almost three weeks at a private hospital in Dubai after suffering from intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), a life-threatening emergency 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 confirmed to Khaleej Times.
The mother and daughter have no known relatives in the country, and the father was deported last year after overstaying. The child was left with the mother's flat mates for a couple of days before she was sent to the consulate.
The Philippine deputy consul-general Giovanni Palec said: "The child is now under temporary custody of a foster family as per the recommendation made by the social welfare attaché that is suitable for the kid's situation.
"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 said 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 hospitalised 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 who can take care of them, if something happens to you," said Palec.
Meanwhile, an official from the hospital talked to Khaleej Times and confirmed that the mother's condition 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," said the hospital official.
angel@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE