DUBAI // The family of a premature baby who died last week hope they can finally take him from the morgue and bury him after a dispute involving Dh250,000 in unpaid bills.
Baby Timothy Tindugan died on June 26 at home, a week after he left hospital where he spent two months after being born at just 27 weeks.
The Filipino family owes Dh250,000 to Zulekha Hospital, Dubai, which the father cannot pay because he lost his job as an architect a month before Timothy was born, on April 20.
“I tried to save my son that night, I tried to resuscitate him. I kept praying he would breathe,” said Rollie Tindugan. “We called the ambulance but there was no life. We lost our baby so we are grieving but I want to settle everything and save my family.
“I’m a good person. My wife and I have stayed in Dubai for 12 years. This is the worst trial I’ve had to conquer in my life here.”
The family’s troubles began on April 20, when Timothy’s mother Rhodora, who works in sales for a clothing company, was warned by doctors at a clinic near their Deira home that her water had broken and she must immediately go to hospital.
Although registered at a private hospital covered by her company insurance, the couple tried for admission to other hospitals that specialised in premature deliveries.
But until late that night, they were turned away from hospitals because they had no beds or facilities to handle preterm babies.
When they reached Zulekha Hospital, the baby was born in the emergency room.
Mr Tindugan said the hospital kept the couple’s passports for two months because he was unable to pay the medical expenses and their visas had expired.
Both passports were returned last week after police said they could not be withheld. The hospital has since completed processing the infant’s identification papers.
Dr Zia ur Rahman Shah, director of administration at the hospital, said the parents could at first only deposit Dh1,143 and “willingly submitted their passports, which have since been returned to them”.
The hospital was “ready to advise the family on available payment options and do our best to help them ease the financial burden while adhering to our policies”.
Mrs Tindugan’s insurer, MetLife, said it was working on the case.
Shafiq Sheikh, medical network and claims director at MetLife Gulf, said the company deeply regretted the Tindugan family’s loss and would meet their commitment to the customer, although he did not specify if this meant they would cover the bills.
“MetLife received a claim request for the maternity benefit and, unfortunately, was not made aware that the baby was born premature,” Mr Sheikh said.
Mr Tindugan is now completing the birth and death registry process so that his son has a name when he is buried.
“We want our child to have an identity or it’s as if he never existed in Dubai,” he said. “The hospital tried to save him but everything has taken so long that I feel every day there is a big problem waiting. I want to find another job, work hard and pay my bills.”
People touched by the family’s story are now pitching in to help. They include as Christopher Sacramento, who this year became father of Nicholas, nicknamed the Miracle Baby as he was one of the smallest micro-premature babies to survive in the UAE.
Mr Sacramento has appealed to people helping with his child’s operations to give the money for Timothy’s burial and help to pay the family’s debt.
“I’m still struggling to pay my baby’s bills but I have to try to help this family because I know what they are suffering,” said Mr Sacramento.
Dubai Health Authority has suggested the parents approach assistance committees, and said that government hospitals’ neonatal intensive care units “regularly accept emergency deliveries, even those not registered with them”.
The authority also urged mothers to inquire whether hospitals offered neonatal intensive care services and, if they did not, inquire about what provisions and facilities were in place in the event of an emergency.
rtalwar@thenational.ae