Dubai expat faces over Dh2m in hospital bills as his baby struggles with rare condition

Dubai - The baby cannot eat or drink milk and is surviving on intravenous feeding because of a rare intestinal disorder.

Ten-month-old Mohammed Subhan has been lying on a hospital bed in Dubai since his birth. He cannot eat or drink milk and is surviving on intravenous feeding because of a rare intestinal disorder called Microvillus Inclusion Disease (MVID).
Subhan's medical expenses are going through the roof and his family from Pakistan has already incurred hospital bills to the tune of Dh2.2 million.
Sabir Waseem Khan, the child's unemployed father, said that every day his child spends at Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital is adding Dh15,000 to the bills.
"My monthly income of Dh5,500 was hardly enough to meet the expenses. Now, that is also gone. But how can I give up on my own's son's life?" asks Khan, who was working as a salesman at a documentation company until March when he got laid off.
He said his two other children, Muhammed, 8, and Mustan,6, have also been out of school since he can no longer afford to pay their tuition fees.

"I have not even seen them in the last 10 months as they are staying with my brother in Al Ain and my wife Mehwish is staying at the hospital with Subhan."
Medical records seen by Khaleej Times show that Subhan was born at Aster Hospital in Mankhool, Dubai, on September 23, 2019. His medical insurance covered the initial treatment cost for about 22 days.
"Doctors advised us to transfer him to Al Jalila Hospital on October 15 and he has been under treatment since then.  I received help from Al Jalila Foundation that paid Dh250,000 to cover the cost, but that is far from enough," said Khan.
He said he is left with no option but to take his son back home to Pakistan and help him survive as long as he can.
"An air ambulance will cost Dh200,000-plus and I cannot afford it. The hospital has offered to fly him in business class accompanied by a doctor and my wife."
Khan said there is only one private hospital in Pakistan that has the facilities to treat Subhan and that costs a fortune.
"With a terminally-ill child, mounting hospital bills, crippling unemployment, this has been a depressingly bleak Eid Al Adha for my family. But I hope some generous residents will come forward and help us get out of this crisis," said Khan.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Dubai