Expatriate seeks financial help for kidney transplant

A victim of a severe form of diabetes, Abou is also blind in one eye and will have to go for a retinal eye transplant to save his other eye.

He used to work as a driver with a private company, couldn't earn a single fil in the past one year because of his ailments. Abounemer, who has three sons, says he is in no position to bear the exorbitant medical costs - for a kidney transplantation, which is not available in the UAE, and which may cost between Dh100,000 and Dh250,000 elsewhere. "I intended to do it in Jordan, as the Islamic Hospital there does this type of surgeries," he said.

"I have already spent Dh25, 000 on my eye treatment at a private medical centre. But now doctors say that I should have a retinal transplantation," said Abounemer. "I go to Tawam Hospital twice a week for dialysis. Normally, the medical insurance covers the treatment, but after my visa expires in April next year, I have to pay Dh2,000 for the dialyses every week."

Doctors at Tawam Hospital's Department of Medicine-Nephrology have advised that Abounemer "needs very soon renal replacement therapy by haemodialysis, or better because of his young age renal transplantation."