No health insurance, no going home

A 26-year-old Bangladeshi has been admitted to a government hospital for the past one year following a traffic accident. Doctors have certified he is 100 per cent disabled and will remain so for life. Although his wounds have healed and he is ready to be repatriated, he cannot go home:  his massive medical bills have to be cleared first. He is among scores of expatriates with low incomes who have no health insurance cover. His sponsor, who runs a barber shop, said the bill is way beyond his means. An Indian family, whose son was admitted in the hospital for over six months, has been deseprately contacting charities after getting a bill of Dh 318,000. Another family recently got a bill close to Dh 1 million for the delivery and extended stay of their two premature born twins at the neonatal intensive care unit. Another Indian family was shattered to find out their 8-year-old son suffers from brain tumour. The cost of treatment rose to over Dh 80,000 in a matter of weeks, a sum they could barely afford.In another case, a wife, the sole breadwinner of a family, is facing a similar bill since her husband has been admitted to the hospital from January following a stroke. Families burdened with huge medical bills, with no means of settling them, are no rarity at government hospitals in Dubai.from gulf news.